Blue Water Navy

Hello
I am not sure how these post work but I am going to give it a whirl, my name is Lisa, my husband is Jack and he was aboard the Wexford County LST 1168 when they left San Deigo and went to Guam in 1962 (WesPac). The ship arrived at first in Apra Harbor , Guam. He is now 67 with many health complications, many/most that are on the AO list, diabetes, heart, kidney,skin cancer, the whole shabang! I made a claim for him which was denied, probably because I dont know what I am doing and we dont have money for lawyers. I dont even know if a lawyer could help anyway. I got ship logs showing where he was in Guam, a map showing herbicide in Apra Harbor, his DD214 showing the ship as LST , which I thought would be enough, the VA already treats him for all his ailments, do I ask for an apeall or reconsideration, give up, or find more evidence...and what evidence should I get together? What exactly do they want? Are there other veterans that were on LST's in Guam that have also been denied? How about a march? When I read the post , I think this really has been going on to long!!! Many many of you veterans have been at this a long time! How do we pull everyone together on these issues? I would be interested in joining together, marching on the White House Lawn. What ever.
Hope I did this right.

Hello and Welcome. Did the ship ever go to Vietnam or just Guam?
Susie

Ken Hummel wrote:Lisa, it appears that the ship and your Hubby qualify according to this history of the ship. Again welcome, and good luck in the battle!!!

Ships History


.......

Ken, effective dates are not in line with duty time posted, 1962. The history you posted is post 1965, three years after the posted time on board.

hi lisa and jack. i'm just posting a few comments to hopefully help you, not knowing how much research you have been able to do on your own and not knowing how familiar you are with the va agent orange (ao) rules. the ao presumption only applies to vets that touched the land of vietnam or served on vietnam inland waterways; it can also apply to certain army folks that served in the korean dmz or folks guarding certain base perimeters in thailand. if jack did not serve on the lst while in vietnam, the ao presumption does not apply to him. the ao presumption only applies to lst's that served in vietnam. the fact that he was on a lst in guam is not the issue; he could have been on any type of vessel in guam and the va requirements/law are the same. as far as i know, there is no ao presumption for guam. in order for him to get ao service connected compensation, he must establish "direct exposure" and have a doctor statement (preferably a treating specialist) that indicates that it is "at least as likely as not" that the direct ao exposure is the cause of his illnesses and generally it's good idea for the doctor to explain the reasoning for coming to the conclusion that ao is the cause. direct exposure would be if jack can establish via evidence/documentation that he handled ao, was subjected to ao spray, worked in an area that had been ao sprayed or in some way ao contaminated, etc. i would suggest that you do a lot of research on ao/guam such as a "google" search using "agent orange guam" and read/check a lot of the sites that are pulled up. one site that i located is: http://veteransinfo.org/guam.html this site has some useful info; there are many more sites. you may also want to go to "va.gov", schroll down to board of veterans appeals (bva), select "search decisions" and search using "agent orange guam" for instance. this will pull up bva decisions that were either approved or denied involving ao and guam; review the decisions carefully as the decisions explain the law for direct exposure, discuss needed evidence, etc.
you can retain an attorney that specializes in va claims, i think the attorney will review your case/info, and if the attorney thinks you have a "good case" "winnable", the attorney will have you sign a fee agreement indicating attorney payment comes out of any retroactive benefits obtained; if you lose, you owe nothing? i think that's how it works (i haven't used an attorney myself). i strongly encourage you to spend the time doing your own research, do not rely solely on others to pursue your claim. a veterans organization representative can be helpful, but sometimes their "quality" can vary greatly from one rep to another. let us members know how you are progressing on this and best of luck!!

Welcome Lisa and Jack...the folks here are great and are a wealth of information. Be sure to send in a Notice of Disagreement. That gives you time to gather more evidence and to prove your case. A veteran service officer can be a source of help with this...as stated in a previous post. If you got questions...post it and someone will try to help you!

Morning
and Wow ! never did I expect to hear from so many, so quickly, and with so much information, Jack joined the service in 1960, and when the Wexford County LST 1168 came back from the WesPac cruise in Spet 1962 San Deigo, he was involved in a horrible car accident, where he and his best friend Navy buddy from the ship were changing a tire and a large truck hit them, Jacks friend was killed and Jack was splattered with blood and stuff, he wont talk alot about it, and I dont question him much as it seems to send him into a tailspin, anyways he was hospitalized for injuries but more important for a mental breakdown,,,at Balboa Hospital, when he got better Oct 1962 (1 month) the Navy discharged him (code 460) unstable mental reaction. He didnt know why he was discharged at the time and I just recently looked up the discharge codes online. My first va claim was for unstable mental reaction(denied), as I had no medical records from that time, va states it wasnt clinically dx. then I put one in for ptsd as the va treats him for depression, anxiety, mood changes. I know it will also be denied as no where on his current records dx ptsd. I just did it as the symtoms are the same for both unstable mental reaction and ptsd and I dont see how they tell the difference, I was also hoping that he could get the treatment for ptsd and heal maybe enough to come off the meds that he takes. As I was looking up info was where I found the AO symtoms , started asking family questions about diabetes(no family history) and stuff. I also wondered, havent researched it, if AO could have messed up his mind to where he couldnt handle, couldnt adjust to, couldnt heal his mind from the accident. I dont know if AO can affect the brain. I am not going to give up, not on him or his treatment or the VA claims. He is a good man, he wanted to be in the Navy, to help his country. I will continue to do research on Guam and OA, and I appreciate everyones help here. If I ever come across anything to help any of you, I will post the info. I am happy that all are coming together, what is that saying about "a divided house cannot stand"...together is the way to get things done.
Lisa
and Jack Owens

re: jack's mental status (ptsd), you may want to go into this site's caption "update log" and view this entry: 12 July 10 - VA Releases New PTSD Claims Fact Sheet. may be of some assistance to you for background info. it is difficult to get benefits for ptsd unless you have a definitive ptsd diagnosis from a treating source; either a "private" psychologist or a va psychologist. va claim adjudicators do not make assumptions regarding a diagnosis; diagnosis has to be determined and "spelled out" by a medical treatment record preferably by a specialist.

Hello
I was wondering if any one has considered or has had the blood test to measure TCDD, I ran across some research that said the levels are higher in those exposed to herbicide. and the other thing I ran across was a clinic in Wichita TX , a Dr Bartel, that treats/test those that have been exposed? Does any one have information on him or his clinic?
Lisa and Jack

lisa & jack

Dennis gave the bluewater address back a few posts---
-- quote--
I am going to announce information, on the new agent orange clinic.
Which follows this message, that just came in.
Which makes this information, on the clinic more important.
I would suggest going to this clinic, if at all possible and with the
results of these exams, file for "Direct exposure, " in Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia or where ever. That still doesn't mean, that we won't have
to find, pro-bono attny's to fight for our claims.
The Haas decision has been made and it has gone against us. I have
no further information, as to where it goes from here.
http://vnvets.blogspot.com/
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Received information that an Agent Orange clinic, was opening in
Wichita Falls, TX. We decided by hook or crook, we were going to
make an appt. and go out to this clinic. I wanted to see first hand and
learn the ropes, so to speak, before passing on the information.
We had the opportunity and we left here and arrived on the 8th of April, for our appt. on
the 9th. Dr. Bartel. is a specialist in neurology and believes that herbicide exposure
involves the nervous system, as well as the immune system. Once both of those systems
have been corrupted, its just a matter of progression with the organs.
Dr. Bartel, has no affliation, with the VA. This is a private clinic.
He told us, that the pych meds do not work well on veterans, with PTSD, because of their
exposures. The herbicides cause chemical changes in the brain and so the meds don't
work the same way, as those not exposed. . Veteran diabetics are the same way. Their
diabetes is hard to control, with the drugs, because of the chemical changes in the body.
It has been confirmed by Dr. Bartel, that Denny was exposed to herbicides, in Thailand.
Since Denny did not go outside Thailand, then we can safely say, he was directly exposed
to the herbicides there. This would then be considered a "DIRECT EXPOSURE
CLAIM." He has been diagnosised with peripheral neuropathy. The neuropathy is one of
the consequences of agent orange exposure. He has presenile dementia, which can be a
late effect of toxin eposures as well. There is also lung changes, Cysts on his kidney,
Which seems to be a frequent occurance, with exposure. So this does, answer alot of
questions for us. Also creats alot of new problems.
Another Thailand veteran's experience, at the clinic:
My visit to the North Texas Neurology Clinic was originally necessitated by a diagnosis
of Horner's Syndrome which required a neurologist to determine an underlying cause. I
have been a diabetic with neuropathy and nephropathy for many years. I was diagnosed
with cranialvascular disease, central nervous system and peripheral neuropathy with it
being more likely than not that I was exposed to herbicides while in Thailand. I was
pleased with the thoroughness of the testing which included MRIs of the Brain and Spine,
muscle tests, motor and sensory nerve conduction and H-reflex tests, and somatosensory
tests which help show the extent of the neuropathy and whether dioxin exposure effected
the central nervous system.
I highly recommend this clinic as supportive and knowledgeable about exposure to
dioxins and the "veteran experience".
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New Agent Orange Clinic is opened to all Chemically
wounded veterans, including Gulf War.
The nation's first and only clinic to test, diagnose and
treat for Agent Orange diseases!!!!!
If you have been exposed to Agent Orange, other herbicides or other
chemicals, Call This Number to make an appointment, with North
Texas Neurology Associates, at the new "Agent Orange clinic."
(940) 322-1075
Will write V.A. Letters!!!!!
Will conference with your Doctors!!!!!
Early dection is critical!!
Call today!!!!
Ask for the "Agent Orange Clinic," when making appt.
Danny Bartel, M.D., Neurologist
Texas State Board of Medical Examiners License #E6226
Board -Certified American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology #24-298
and American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology
Agent Orange Clinic, North Texas Neurology Associates, Wichita Falls,
Texas
"Medicare, Tricare, and most health insurance plans accepted."
Plan on approximately a 3-day stay. The time it takes for exam and
evaluation is dependent upon test results. which will vary with each
individual.
----------------------------------------------------
The Agent Orange clinic, is opened
to all chemically wounded
veterans.
Including Gulf war.
Agent Orange Clinic/Check List:
#1. Ask for the Agent Orange clinic and ask to
speak with, either Julie or Lori.
#2. Take any and all copies of medical records,
with you, that you can leave with the doctor.
That includes civilian and VA.
DO NOT TAKE ORIGINALS!!!!!!!!
Also to be included:
Medication lists
Doctors names and contact information lists
Allergy lists
Other hospital and illness records
#3. Be prepared to be there a minimum, of 3
days.
Testing being done, will be on an indivivual
needs, of each veteran.
#4. Special lodging arrangements, have been
made at Howard Johnson's, for those going to
the clinic.
When calling the hotel, mention the Agent
Orange clinic, to receive the special rate of
$49.00.
Howard Johnson's Plaza Hotel
401 Broad Street
Wichita Falls, Texas 76301
940-766-6000
The Agent Orange Clinic, is located, within a
mile of the hotel. Other lodging is, available in
the area.
#5. BE PERSISTANT!!!!!!! If phone calls, are
not returned, within 24 hours. CALL THEM!!!!
VA insurance will be accepted, if it is preauthorized.
Do not tell the VA, it is for Agent Orange.
Explain to them that, this doctor is a specialist
in neurology and is the only one in the country
to run these special tests. He is a one of a kind
doctor and cannot be found anywhere else


GOOD LUCK STEVE & PAT

Lisa,
If Jack has not seen a Veterans Service Officer and signed a POA (Power of Atterny) PLEASE CONCIDER GOING TO A "SERVICE OFFICER." A service officer, (like from VVA, VFW or DAV) can write the claim and or an Appeal. In the correct wording that the VA will better understand.
Keep copies of every thing! Some states have County Vet Serv. Officers.
Watch all dates, try not to let any reply dates slip bye.

yours in Faith,