(Veterans Affairs on their "Vantage Point" blog, 8/3/2015)
VA awarding
compensation for C-123 Agent Orange claims
Acting
swiftly, VA granted first claim in just 16 days
In 1997, 10 years after retiring from a
34-year career in the Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve, Edward Kosakoski was
diagnosed with prostate cancer. Though his last assignment in the Reserve was
as commander of the 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Westover Air Force
Base in Massachusetts, it was during the mid-1970s and early 1980s that Lt.
Col. K was exposed to Agent Orange while flying training missions on several
C-123 aircraft previously used for spraying the chemical defoliant in Vietnam.
Last week, VA service connected Col. K’s
prostate cancer, awarding him compensation for his C-123 Agent Orange claim.
VA
is acting swiftly to grant compensation to select Air Force personnel exposed
to contaminated C-123 aircraft.
I’ve never met Col. K, but his story is
captured in the claim file that his wife, Ingrid Kosakoski, filed on his
behalf. That file shows a man who was drafted into the Army in 1953 and, after
serving two years in France, had joined the Army Reserve, and who had received
a commission in the Air Force Reserve after graduating from the University of
Connecticut Pharmacy School in 1959. That file also shows that VA received Col.
K’s claim prior to the recent regulation change.
After spending decades searching for proof of
a connection between C-123s and the conditions known to be caused by Agent
Orange, the Institute of Medicine issued a review that provided the supporting
evidence VA needed to provide care and compensation to the Air Force and Air
Force Reserve personnel who were exposed to Agent Orange through regular and
repeated contact with contaminated C-123s and who also developed an Agent
Orange-related disability.
When the regulation change took effect earlier
this summer, it took VA just 16 days to grant Col. K’s claim. Granting this
claim represents a welcomed success for hundreds of flight, ground maintenance,
and medical crew members who were assigned to certain Air
Force and Air Force Reserve units from 1969 to 1986.
“I have only praise for the VA personnel who
handled Ed’s claim in Baltimore and St. Paul,” Ingrid said. “They
were professional and compassionate, and I would urge others exposed to
Agent Orange with known disabilities to file claims as soon as possible.”
In a recent phone conversation, longtime C-123
advocate and close friend of Col. K, Wes Carter, also stressed the importance
of not waiting.
“The Secretary and his staff have worked hard,
along with C-123 veterans in getting to this point,” said Carter, who also
chairs the C-123 Veterans Association. “VA is ready and eager, already reaching
out and helping our aircrews and maintenance personnel who are ill.
“This is the time for C-123 Veterans to get
their claims to VA if affected by any of the Agent Orange-associated illnesses.
Call the C-123 hotline at 1-800-749-8387 for any questions. I also recommend
that vets ask their local VA medical center’s environmental health coordinator
for an Agent Orange Registry exam.”
If you or someone you know was exposed to
Agent Orange (whether in in Vietnam or its inland waterways, an area the
Department of Defense has confirmed use of AO, or as in Col. K’s case aboard a C-123)
AND you have a condition
presumed to be related to AO, please file a claim for
compensation.
If you need help filing a claim or want to
talk to someone, you have many options:
- Speak
with an accredited Veterans Service Officer who can help you gather
records and file a claim online
- Call
VA at 1-800-827-1000 for advice
- If
you want the fastest decision possible, consider filing a Fully Developed
Claim throughebenefits.va.gov.
An FDC allows you to submit all your evidence up front, identify any
federal records for VA to obtain, and certifies that you have no other
evidence to submit.
- You
can also complete a Disability
Benefit Questionnaire with the help of your doctor
If you (or your loved one) meet certain conditions, such as
financial hardship, advanced age, or terminal illness, VA can expedite your
claim – just make sure we are aware of your situation. You or your VSO can
notify us in writing, or by calling 1-800-827-1000. If your situation is dire,
don’t wait!
