fergusontd wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:26 pm

My S-I-L was born there when his dad served in the Marines. Bill died of pulmonary fibrosis attributed to that contamination and his dad died a year later of several medical conditions. My Grand Children suffer from inherited medical conditions. The VA said not so. So it was don't call us we'll call you. ftd
My step-grandson was born with spine bifida. His biological grandfather served in Vietnam and his father in the Gulf War. He receives a monthly pension and SSD from his father's social security.
It often takes years to get a claim through with the Veterans Administration.
I knew one veteran was an early PTSD claim that he had appealed properly each of his denials and when they finally started granting PTSD claims he got over $100,000 in the back compensation.
Agent orange is another example of claims that were denied for many years but now there is a whole list of presumptive service connected conditions for veterans who have been in Vietnam and therefore presume to have been exposed to agent orange.
I have two Vietnam veteran friends who are currently service connected because of Parkinson's disease which is presumed to have been the result of their service in Vietnam.
Unfortunately, many of the veterans who were worst affected by agent Orange did not live long enough to collect benefits, or died shortly after benefits were granted. Once the Veterans Administration admits that the veteran does have a service-connected condition, then the veterans spouse or children maybe eligible for pension. In the case of a spouse they may receive a pension and children can support and also educational benefits.
I am concerned about veterans with burn pit syndrome which has been newly recognized in the Pact Act by President Biden. Respiratory problems are a big issue with veterans who have served in the Gulf. My own daughter has burn pit syndrome from a 10-month deployment in Qatar. Besides the respiratory problems she also has serious liver and kidney problems caused from the poisons that were burned in the burn pit next to her base.
Ferguson, I would encourage your family members affected by that exposure to the water at Camp Lejeune to contact one of these attorneys as I understand lawsuits are outside of the VA system and will not be adjudicated under VA law, but under the law of the State for North Carolina and Federal law. I think the possibility of a positive ruling is much greater outside the VA system.