Monday, August 30, 2010

VA News Release, Final Agent Orange Presumptive Diseases, August 31, 2010

News Release:

VA Publishes Final Regulation to Aid Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
August 30, 2010

WASHINGTON – Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a final regulation that will be published on August 31, 2010 in the Federal Register by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures to add two new conditions and expand one existing category of conditions.

“Last October, based on the requirements of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and the Institute of Medicine’s 2008 Update on Agent Orange, I determined that the evidence provided was sufficient to award presumptions of service connection for these three additional diseases,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “It was the right decision, and the President and I are proud to finally provide this group of Veterans the care and benefits they have long deserved.”

The final regulation follows Shinseki’s determination to expand the list of conditions for which service connection for Vietnam Veterans is presumed. VA is adding Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease and expanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia.

In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their medical problems and their military service. By helping Veterans overcome evidentiary requirements that might otherwise present significant challenges, this “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process and ensure that Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.

The Secretary’s decision to add these presumptives is based on the latest evidence provided in a 2008 independent study by the Institute of Medicine concerning health problems caused by herbicides like Agent Orange.

Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period beginning January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.

More than 150,000 Veterans are expected to submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are potentially eligible for retroactive disability payments based on past claims. Additionally, VA will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims by Vietnam Veterans for service connection for these conditions. All those awarded service-connection who are not currently eligible for enrollment into the VA healthcare system will become eligible.

This historic regulation is subject to provisions of the Congressional Review Act that require a 60-day Congressional review period before implementation. After the review period, VA can begin paying benefits for new claims and may award benefits retroactively for earlier periods. For new claims, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the effective date of the regulation or to one year before the date VA receives the application, whichever is later. For pending claims and claims that were previously denied, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the date it received the claim.

VA encourages Vietnam Veterans with these three diseases to submit their applications for access to VA health care and compensation now so the agency can begin development of their claims.

Individuals can go to a website at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm to get an understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA’s services for Veterans exposed to the chemical is available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.

The regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register website at http://www.ofr.gov/.

Three Illnesses Added to Agent Orange Presumption

The final rule, to be published in Tuesday's Federal Register, states VA will presume veterans with Parkinson's Disease, ischemic heart disease and all chronic B cell leukemia have been exposed to Agent Orange.

Full Article at: VA announces change in Agent Orange benefit claims process
By Emily Long elong@govexec.com August 30, 2010

The Veterans Affairs Department is easing the standards under which Vietnam War veterans qualify for benefits related to Agent Orange exposure.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki on Monday announced the department is adding three illnesses to the list of conditions for which veterans aren't required to demonstrate a connection to military service. The final rule, to be published in Tuesday's Federal Register, states VA will presume veterans with Parkinson's Disease, ischemic heart disease and all chronic B cell leukemia have been exposed to Agent Orange.

Shinseki's decision is based on a 2008 study from the Institute of Medicine on health problems Agent Orange causes. Veterans who served in Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to the herbicide.

VA expects more than 150,000 veterans to submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months and will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims."

McGill Univ. Study on Marijuana Use in Chronic Pain

While the article report only a modest decrease in pain, one has to remember that for chroinc pain suffers even a "modest" reduction can be a huge gain and then there is the additional aspect that sleep was improved.

Full Article at: Marijuana Eases Neuropathic Pain
By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: August 30, 2010
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.


"Smoking marijuana modestly reduced pain and other symptoms of chronic neuropathic pain, results of a small randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed.

The most potent dose used reduced average daily pain scores by 0.7 points on an 11-point scale (5.4 versus 6.1 with placebo, 95% confidence interval for difference 0.02 to 1.4), according to Mark A. Ware, MBBS, of McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues.

Those who smoked weed with 9.4% of the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) also reported sleeping better, the researchers reported online in CMAJ."