Pentagon Study To Help Flight Crew and Aviation Ground Support Veterans' Cancer Claims

So, what’s this all about?

About YOU as a veteran, and perhaps also you as a veteran with cancers the Pentagon has identified as somehow related to aviation. We’re addressing active duty as well as Reserve Component servicemembers.

A 2024 Pentagon study identified several cancers as being significantly higher among aircrews and aviation ground support than in a similar non-flying population: What’s greater? 87% melanoma, thyroid cancer 37%, and breast cancer and prostate cancer both 16% greater. The study is attached for your review.

We’re veterans of the 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Westover ARB, MA. Our history includes flying the infamous former Agent Orange spray airplanes, the C-123 Provider. Our planes remained contaminated with dioxin. It took many years of fighting until in 2015 VA finally conceded our exposures. Our veterans (plus many other bases and units- see attached lists)) are now presumed by VA as having been exposed and our claims for the various Agent Orange ailments are finally being honored. So much so, in fact, that over $80 million in medical care, compensation and survivor Agent Orange benefits have been won for C-123 veterans.

However, Agent Orange is now pretty much in the “rear view mirror.” Our concern shifts to you if you were in some way associated with military aviation and now suffer one of these cancers. We want to help you understand the importance of the Pentagon study and its value to a VA claim – and the great value to your physician who we hope will cite the study as persuasive in a nexus opinion supporting your VA claim for what VA terms "direct service connection."

VA has typically denied Reserve Component exposure claims (except ours) insisting Reservists weren’t on active duty when exposed: no active duty = no benefits. They also insisted active duty veterans experiencing these cancers only many years after service weren’t injured with exposures and their claims were also denied.

The Pentagon study is our solution. It established that something associated with aviation is causing significantly greater risk of cancers, with worrisome percentages cited above. Now Reservists can claim an exposure injury and have the study (and their physician’s letter citing the study) as strong supporting proof. An exposure injury makes a Reservist a veteran per VA regulations. The same with active duty – if you flew, the study gives a link between flying/maintaining and the cancers. Being a Department of Defense report, the VA finds it damn hard to dispute, particularly because they contributed to it!

There are four claim packets in our Pentagon report. For each named cancer, we’ve writing a brief introduction, discussed the VA Form 526EZ disability claim form, the VA physical exam form for each specific cancer, and a VA Form 21-10210 statement of support. The 21-10210 explains to the VA claims agent why the Pentagon report constitutes powerful evidence supporting your claim. In fact, other veterans have already won claims and appeals by citing the report – it works! Share it with your VSO!

Here are individual claims packets:

Melanoma

Breast Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

Prostate Cancer

Good luck with your claim and let us know how you did.

Wes Carter, 74AES, C-123 Veterans Association.  

rustysilverwings@gmail.com

c123kcancer.blogspot.com

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD: Claims packets for flight crews and aviation ground support veterans: Melanoma, thyroid cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. All four are in one file to simplify distribution. Each has an intro, info about VA Form 526EZ to initiate a claim, a cancer-specific VA veterans benefit questionnaire" for a physical exam, and a VA statement form with an explanation about the Pentagon study's importance to aviation-related disability claims.

Here is information on the Pentagon study.

Here's the Vietnam Veterans of American excellent claims guide, although it focus on Agent Orange issues rather than aviation-related illnesses.

C-123 Agent Orange Breast Cancer – What Do We Know So Far?

We've just started looking into this terrible disease which seems to strike veterans more frequently than women without military service. In particular, we want to address Agent Orange exposures aboard our C-123 aircraft. There seems to be an association between the confirmed dioxin exposure on the C-123s and the women's long-term, low-dose exposures between 1972-1982.

We don't know much. I'll list here what we've got so far:

1. We don't know the details of our own cohort...who many women, how many illnesses?

2. We don't find strong association of dioxin exposure with breast cancer in the literature.

3. WHO says dioxin increases the risk of all cancers. Men also get breast cancer, but more rarely.

4. VA does not include breast cancer among their list of Agent Orange-presumptive illnesses.

5. Our exposure range in age of the veterans spans most of the reproductive years (age 18 & up)

6. According to Lurker et al., the primary route of exposure is dermal to oral with a minor contribution from inhalation and not very much contribution from direct dermal contact

7. Our population is too small for a valid epidemiological analysis, so we may have to be satisfied with spikes and raw data. With regards to an epidemiological study, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) provides epidemiological studies of hazardous waste sites that are on the National Priority List (NPL). Typically, ASTDR staff and local public health officials identify the number of cancer cases in the area around the site and compare them to what the normal rate of cancer would be (i.e., a control group outside the affected NPL site).

8. VA is required to assess our claims in a pro-veteran, non-adversarial, paternalistic manner. While it's not likely, we can hope that VA's subject matter experts can offer input.

9. VA does not list breast cancer among the presumptive illnesses recognized for service connection, so breast cancer will have to be approached on a "fact-proven" basis for which we must establish at least a plausible medical nexus.

10. There are many potential allies in the breast cancer community to whom we can reach out for help.

11. We have momentum and credibility, having fought the basic C-123/Agent Orange battle and won.

12. We don't have and don't want funds, either raised from among ourselves or accepted from outside.

13. If this takes a long while, resolution is likely to be more for our survivors than ourselves.

14. Our veterans need to submit claims to the VA for any and all ailments, even if not presently on VA's list of recognized Agent Orange illnesses. Benefits date from the application.

C-123 Agent Orange Exposure & Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer: I need input on this as we try to convince VA to extend their Agent Orange coverage to include breast cancer. 

Please let me hear from survivors, researchers, epidemiologists...all those with an expert insight to this problem.