Each month, Emmet County Veteran Affairs Director Jim Alton writes a column that is published here and in the Petoskey News-Review. Below is his July 2015 column.
VA expands disability benefits for Air Force personnel exposed to contaminated C-123 aircraft
The Department of Veterans Affairs published a new regulation that expands eligibility for some benefits for a select group of Air Force Veterans and Air Force Reserve personnel who were exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange through regular and repeated contact with contaminated C-123 aircraft that had been used in Vietnam as part of Operation Ranch Hand (ORH).
VA published this regulation as an interim final rule so that it could immediately begin providing benefits to eligible Air Force veterans and Air Force Reserve personnel who submit a disability compensation claim for any of the 14 medical conditions that have been determined by VA to be related to exposure to Agent Orange.
Under this new rule, Air Force and Air Force Reserve flight, medical and ground maintenance crewmembers who served on the contaminated ORH C-123s are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides during their service, thus making it easier for them to establish entitlement for some VA benefits if they develop an Agent Orange-related presumptive condition. In addition, for affected Air Force Reserve crew members, VA will presume that their Agent Orange-related condition had its onset during their Reserve training. This change ensures that these reservists are eligible for VA disability compensation and medical care for any Agent Orange-related presumptive condition, and that their surviving dependents are eligible for dependency and indemnity compensation and burial benefits.
If you believe you are one of the affected veterans or know of someone who may be, please call our office (231) 348-1780.
Spotlight Resource: The PTSD Coach Mobile App
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs
When used in conjunction with professional medical treatment, PTSD Coach provides you dependable resources you can trust. If you have, or think you might have PTSD, this app is for you. Family and friends can also learn from this app.
PTSD Coach was created by the VA’s National Center for PTSD and the Department of Defense’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology.
The PTSD Coach app can help you learn about and manage symptoms that commonly occur after trauma. Features include:
- Reliable information on PTSD and treatments that work.
- Tools for screening and tracking your symptoms.
- Convenient, easy-to-use skills to help you handle stress symptoms.
- Direct links to support and help.
- Always with you when you need it.
Note: As effective and helpful as the PTSD Coach is, it is not intended to replace professional evaluation and professional care.
Honor Flight Network
A program gives military veterans the chance to see monuments and landmarks in the Washington metropolitan area. The Honor Flight Network flies veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials that honor their service to the nation. Veterans can visit the Air Force Memorial, National Mall, U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, World War II , Arlington National Cemetery and other landmarks. With hubs around the country and several trips every month, the Honor Flight Network is dedicated to providing veterans with honor and closure.
For more information including flight schedules, visit the Honor Flight Network website at www.honorflight.org or call our office for more information.
Veterans Identification Card eligibility
The Veterans Identification Card (VIC) is only available to military veterans who are eligible to receive VA health care benefits. There are many misconceptions regarding VA health care eligibility, and there are thousands of veterans who are unaware they are eligible for VA medical benefits. You don’t need to have a service-connected disability to be eligible to receive VA health care benefits. Eligibility is based on active duty service in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, or Merchant Marines (in WWII), who have an other than dishonorable discharge. Former members of the Reserves or National Guard may be eligible if they were activated under Federal Executive Orders (this generally excludes activation for training purposes).
Other eligibility factors include active duty service dates, deployments you may have served on, or other criteria, such as being discharged for medical reasons, serving in a war zone (Vietnam War veterans and Persian Gulf veterans who served in theater during certain dates are eligible for VA health care benefits), Former POWs, Purple Heart recipients, and veterans who meet certain household income requirements may be eligible for VA medical care benefits. You can also contact the VA to determine health care eligibility or use this eligibility questionnaire. Or of course you can call our office and we can help you with any questions you may have.
Jim Alton is the Director of the Veterans Affairs Department within Emmet County. Alton served in the United States Marine Corps (1955-62) and is retired from the Michigan State Police. Reach him or his assistant, Rick Wiertalla, at (231) 348-1780 or jalton@emmetcounty.org
