Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 10/30/2008

Dear Sgt. Shaft,
My grandfather passed away from Pulmonary Fibrosis last week. He was diagnosed with this disease in 2001 and just lost a seven year battle. He served in Vietnam from 1966-1968 and retired from the Army after 20 years of service. My grandfather, like so many other Veterans was a wonderful man and never complained about his condition, but I cannot help thinking that it is about time that the U.S. government take a little accountability for the spread of this disease caused by exposure to Agent Orange (he has no genetic history of any lung disease or pulmonary fibrosis).

Numerous cases, including Claudette's on www.military.com, support the claim that Agent Orange is one of the environmental factors leading to Pulmonary Fibrosis. There has been a drastic increase in cases of Pulmonary Fibrosis recently, particularly among men between the ages of 60 and 70 who served in Vietnam. If the American Lung Association can positively link asbestos as a cause of Pulmonary Fibrosis, then why is it that no one will discuss Agent Orange as cause as well?

Before my grandfather passed he applied for full disability with the VA and was denied because Pulmonary Fibrosis is not directly attributed to Agent Orange. Since then, there have been several cases in which the VA has granted such requests made by widows of Veterans.

I think it's time that we look further into this issue, and don't just tell grieving wives, husbands, mothers and fathers that the government will not pay them anything for the death of their loved ones. It's bad enough the Veterans of Vietnam were treated so poorly when they returned home from the war, let's not keep making the same mistakes to their detriment. I hope you can help us.

Sincerely,
Jessica N

Dear Jessica,
According to my sources, the Agent Orange Act of 1991 established a procedure for adding diseases to the VA list of disabilities associated with herbicide exposure. The procedure requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to consider reports received from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and all other sound medical and scientific information and analysis on the health effects of herbicide exposure. When NAS studies and other scientific evidence shows that a positive statistical association exists between herbicide exposure and the occurrence of a disease in humans, the Secretary will review the evidence and determine whether the disease will be added to the list. The decision is then published in the Federal Register.

The latest 2006 NAS report concluded that, although respiratory cancers have been associated with herbicide exposure, there is inadequate or insufficient evidence to establish an association between herbicide exposure and non-malignant respiratory diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis. This report is available on the Internet at www.nap.edu. In order for a disease to be added to the presumptive list, scientific evidence must exist to support its relationship to herbicide exposure. Since this relationship has not been shown for pulmonary fibrosis, it has not been added to the presumptive list.

However, service connection for pulmonary fibrosis may be granted on a direct basis if there is sufficient medical evidence available to establish that the disease is related to an individual veteran’s period of service.

Shaft Notes
The ALS Association and people living with Lou Gehrig’s Disease across the country celebrated a tremendous victory as President Bush signed into law S. 1382, the ALS Registry Act, in the late afternoon on Wednesday, October 8.

The ALS Registry Act would establish the first ever national patient registry of people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, to be administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The registry would collect information leading to the cause, treatment and cure of the deadly neurological disease that took the life of baseball legend Lou Gehrig in 1941.

“The ALS community now has a new tool that will help us solve the mysteries of this disease,” said Gary A. Leo, president and CEO of The ALS Association. “A nationwide registry will help us learn what causes ALS, how it can be effectively diagnosed and treated, and ultimately how it can be cured. This is a tremendous victory.”

The ALS was first introduced in 2005 by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator John Warner (R-VA) and U.S. Representatives Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Lee Terry (R-NE)..

The ALS Registry Act enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress as a result of the grassroots efforts of thousands of people with ALS and their families who reached out to Congress. Individuals like Kate Linder, star of the daytime television program, “The Young and the Restless,” also helped raise awareness and build support for the bill among the public and lawmakers alike. “I am so proud to have been part of this effort,” said Linder whose brother in-law Scott was diagnosed with ALS in 2004. “This will truly make a difference in the lives of thousands of people with ALS and those yet to be diagnosed, including our military veterans who are at greater risk of ALS.”

Steve Gibson, vice president of government relations and public affairs for The Association echoed Linder’s comments noting that the bill will benefit our nation’s military veterans. “Although ALS can strike anyone, recent studies have shown that the disease strikes military veterans at approximately double the rate as the general population. A national registry will enable us to learn why our veterans are at greater risk of ALS so that we can take action to help them and to protect the lives of our heroes serving in the military today.”

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-257-5446 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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