PART 2 of our report contains an email sent from Dr. Szyfres to Senator Judith Won-Pat of the Gumanian legislature. It is written in reponse to her question regarding the "color coding" used by the military to identify various toxins.
Continuing our exclussive report, HERE IS Dr. Szyfres' response dated January, 24, 2007 regarding multiple dioxins stored on Guam.
In response to several inquiries regarding specific illnesses possibly caused by Agent Orange, or Agent Blue, or Agent White, etc. the following information will be of interest to Blue Water Navy personnel.
From the recent Haas Ruling and from previous rulings and set definitions of these chemical agents, compensation for illnesses from any dioxin used in and around Vietnam is covered. It is the illness that is being compensated for, NOT the specific causal agent. Rick Spataro of the NVLSP states it well in this email of January 16, 2007:
"The terms “Agent Orange” and “herbicide” are interchangeable for purposes of the Haas ruling. For purposes of VA regulations, the term “herbicide” encompasses all herbicides used in Vietnam, no matter what color they were coded. Haas essentially stands for the principle that if a Blue Water Vietnam Veteran suffers from one of the disabilities on the VA’s list of conditions linked to herbicide exposure, the VA will presume that the disability is service connected (related to the veteran’s service)."
-Rick
Richard V. Spataro
Staff Attorney
National Veterans Legal Services Program
1600 K Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20006-2833
***************
Click here to RETURN TO Part I of the Report by Dr. Luis Szyfres, MD, MPH
Click here to RETURN TO Dr. Szyfres' Memo to Dr. Lee Yudin - First Half
Click here to RETURN TO Dr. Szyfres' Memo to Dr Lee Yudin - Second Half