Camp Lejune Relief Becomes Law - President Signs Bill!

Obama Signs Lejeune Water Bill! courtesy of US Army veteran Charles Harris in Maryland:

Aug 06, 2012              Military.com by Bryant Jordan President Obama Signs Camp Lejeune Law Marines and their families assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., finally will receive medical care for illnesses caused by exposure to toxins in the base water following years of waiting and a tally of sickness and death that could reach close to one million. President Barack Obama on Monday signed a law to extend medical care to people sickened by what has been called the largest episode of military base water contamination. The president said at the White House ceremony the country has a “moral and sacred duty” to care for those sickened by the contaminated drinking water. Under the new law, those who served at or lived on Camp Lejeune at least 30 days between Jan. 1, 1957, and Dec. 31, 1987, will be able to receive medical care for cancer of the esophagus, lung, breast, bladder and kidney, as well as for leukemia, multiple myeloma, myleodysplasic syndromes, renal toxicity, hepatic steatosis, female infertility, miscarriage, scleroderma, neurobehavioral effects and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Sen. Richard Burr of NC, ranking member of Senate Veterans Affairs Committee “This has been a long time coming, and unfortunately, many who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune over the years have died as a result and are not with us to receive the care this bill will provide,” said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., in a statement in July after the Senate passed the bill. Reports have put the number of people exposed to the contaminated water anywhere from 750,000 to one million. Chemicals found in the water included trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride. Burr said the base water contamination “is the largest recorded environmental incident on a domestic Department of Defense installation.” Parents like retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger, whose 9-year-old daughter died from a rare form of leukemia in 1985, have fought for years to draw attention to the contaminated drinking water at Lejeune. He has vowed to continue his fight to hold Marine leaders accountable even after the bill passed the Senate. Before Burr’s bill reached the House -- where it also passed overwhelmingly -- he first had to press fellow Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina to release the bill for a Senate vote. DeMint used a Senate privilege to block a vote on the law because he was afraid people who were never assigned or lived at Lejeune would get care fraudulently. The conservative senator’s hold on the bill was roundly criticized by veterans. “Senator DeMint's concern for some insignificant, possible, future fraud stands in stark contrast to the tens, possibly hundreds, of thousands of current, proven suffering of persons already exposed to these poisonous chemicals. The senator needs to re-evaluate his priorities!” wrote one commenter on the Military.com forums, who identified himself as a Navy retiree. “Maybe Mr. DeMint should be required to drink & use the same water that these Marine victims and their families suffered from,” wrote Bob Bousquet, who also identified himself as a Navy veteran. DeMint was holding out to amend the bill to include specific language addressing fraud. He relented, satisfied that Department of Veterans Affairs already has in place provisions for dealing with fraudulent claims. Though the bill signed Monday had widespread support in both houses of Congress, it took many years to win approval and represents only the latest example of the Pentagon and VA's history of ignoring or delaying health care for collaterally sickened servicemembers. As with post-traumatic stress disorder and Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War, officials initially denied any links to the psychological and health problems to combat or exposure to defoliants sprayed widely over Vietnam. The same pattern played out in the decade following Operation Desert Storm as veterans of the war began turning up with chronic headache, widespread pain, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory symptoms and more. It was only in 2010 that the VA began encouraging Gulf War vets to reapply for compensation after having been turned down previously. Even with the bill to address health problems arising from contaminated water at Lejeune, the government is not actually blaming the chemical-tainted water. What the new law says is that veterans and family members who were at the base longer than 30 days between Jan. 1, 1957, and Dec. 31, 1987, are “eligible for hospital care and medical services [for certain illnesses or conditions] notwithstanding that there is insufficient medical evidence to conclude that such illnesses or conditions are attributable to” being at Lejeune.

AF Surgeon's Office Briefs Sen. Burr's Staff & C-123 Veterans

Yesterday, a very well prepared team from the AF Surgeon's Office briefed Senator Burr's staff  about their 27 April 2012 report dealing with C-123 aircrew dioxin exposure. A lot of effort went into their participation and the C-123 Veterans Association extends thanks to the Air Force Surgeon General as well as Senator Burr's staff.

Joining the teleconference were Dr. Richard Clapp (Professor Emeritus Boston University School of Public Health) and Dr. Jeanie Stellman (Professor Emerita Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health). These dedicated scientists, so familiar with Agent Orange issues, helped C-123 veterans better understand both the Air Force report and the earlier VA report.

During this meeting, the Air Force briefers explained:

• the report was prepared by "tens" of experts from various health professions assigned to the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Released over the signature of USAFSAM's commander, the report correctly reflects the professional opinion of each of the various experts who contributed to it. Drafts of earlier versions or of the final staff report submitted to USAFSAM/CC prior to the published version will not be made available
• USAFSAM undertook the project partly to gather all relevant information, provide an analysis, and make it all available to the public
• complete and thorough release of materials from all Air Force sources was provided; no documents were withheld from USAFSAM researchers by any source, including Davis-Monthan and Hill.
• USAFSAM was unable to determine any particular individual or group exposure, lacking an adequate population for an epidemiological study and having to rely on reports done over the decades since concerns first surfaced about C-123 Agent Orange contamination (the aircraft having been since destroyed)
• the briefers twice stressed their report was unable to make a finding about whether or not individual or occupational groups were exposed. Yet in very stark contrast to that claim of indecision or neutrality, the report reads "At this time, we conclude that the discernible information suggests the potential Agent Orange exposures...were unlikely to have exceeded acceptable regulatory standards or to have predisposed persons in either group to experience future adverse outcomes."
• the executive summary's finding of "unlikely" exposure contrasts with the report's conclusion in 4(d), "is is reasonable to conclude that it is not possible to derive quantitative estimates of any increased health risks for those individuals". If that is the case, why did the report earlier deny any likelihood of such exposure? Shouldn't any such indecision result in the benefit of the doubt given the veterans?
• the pivotal 1994 Weisman/Porter survey of Patches for the Air Force Museum concluded the aircraft was "heavily contaminated" but from the perspective of extensive restoration (grinding, ripping out insulation, fabric, etc.)
• the Air Force briefers suggest the report was not written for guidance of other agencies, such as the Veterans Administration, and that the VA would likely evaluate C-123 veterans' claims "on an individual basis." We explained that VA has already cited the AF report as decisive evidence against C-123 veterans' exposure to dioxin and as justification for denying service connection.

Dr. Clapp stressed that the VA and AF need to discuss the issue in a manner similar to the effort he assists at Camp Lejeune, and find an avenue for individual claims to be evaluated more effectively. Dr. Stellman stressed the importance of remembering the tests' confirmation of "military herbicides" and the need to treat C-123 veterans with the same logic, the same fairness, as the VA has treated Vietnam veterans.

Mr. Tucker of Senator Brook's staff stressed that federal agencies need to find a more compassionate approach to evaluation of individual C-123 veterans' dioxin exposure, and that a reasonable benefit of the doubt be applied to the situation.

For C-123 veterans, the day did not go well. Air Force briefers were enthusiastic in presentation of the report and defensive about its conclusions. Although the briefing began with a general statement that their report was unable to reach a conclusion regarding "occupational" exposure, no retreat was made from the actual wording of the report's Executive Summary which states exposure was "unlikely."

Air Force leadership should know that C-123 veterans are respectful of their authority, and we are absolutely dedicated to the Air Force mission and core values. Given our age, these values have been part of our lives longer than with those currently serving.

We differ in our opinions regarding aircrew dioxin exposure and trust that future peer-reviewed articles in professional journals will better articulate the basis for our actual and harmful exposure and qualification for VA service connection. We also hope for continued support from universities and federal agencies such as the ATSDR.