The VA says it will be creating "Veterans Health Benefits Handbooks" for all veterans in the Washington D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio areas that are enrolled with the VA and currently receiving benefits in an effort to "give veterans everything they need to know and leave out everything that doesn't apply to them," according to Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki.
Previously, some vets had complained that materials distributed by the VA outlining each vet's benefits were difficult to understand and contained unnecessary information. The idea behind the new booklets is to only give the veteran information that pertains to them and the benefits they are eligible to receive.
"Our veterans will now have a comprehensive, easy to understand road map to the medical benefits they earned with their service," Shinseki said.
Included in the handbook given to each individual veteran will be an outline of the benefits they will be receiving, information about scheduling appointments at their local VA facility, and other important information, such as deadlines for co-payments and a clear explanation of the recipient's responsibilities to the VA.
For now, the handbooks will only be distributed in D.C. and Cleveland, but the VA expects "full implementation" to roll out around this time next year, if the first phase is successful.
For the majority of veterans, access to quality health services is crucial, as so many of the men and women who have served our country experience unique health issues as a result of their time in the military. For example, as of May 5, 2010, the VA recognizes that those who served in Vietnam may require special services related to health conditions that they've developed due to exposure to Agent Orange. Previously, the VA did offer health services to these vets, but special benefits to "Agent Orange Vets" were not guaranteed.
Veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 are likely to suffer from a number of the following conditions to due exposure to the Agent Orange herbicide:
- Prostate Cancer
- Respiratory Cancer (including lung cancer)
- Diabetes, Type 2 (adult-onset)
- Hodgkin's Disease
- Soft-Tissue Sarcomas (excluding mesothelioma - a cancer common in veterans, especially Navy vets, that's caused by military exposure to asbestos)
Vets who served in Korea are also offered a full VA examination to determine if they're suffering from conditions related to dioxin or other herbicides between 1968 and 1969. However, the VA is clear that veterans of the Korean conflict do not have the "presumption of exposure" that Vietnam vets now have.
What would I like to see the VA do in the future? Award all veterans with a "presumption of exposure" to toxins, including asbestos. While the VA does offer care for veterans with asbestos cancer, they do not have the "benefit" of presumption of exposure. Like their brothers who served in Korea and fear toxic exposure, vets who suspect that they were exposed to asbestos must prove that they were in fact exposed during their time in the military. This is especially difficult for a veteran who is diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, as asbestos products were found in a number of places - naval ships, military aircraft and vehicles, base housing, and others. Asbestos products, such as insulation, may release tiny asbestos fibers into the air if they are damaged or disturbed, but these fibers are so minuscule that individuals may not even know they've inhaled them! This is why pinpointing an exact time, date and location of asbestos exposure is so difficult for people diagnosed with a related illness. It's different than folks who were exposed to a herbicide that was visibly released from an airplane above them, for example, but if you're a veteran who has mesothelioma or lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure, it's no less of an important health issue.
For now, the VA will continue to offer specialized care to veterans who can prove toxic exposure, and all veterans who proudly and bravely served their country will be able to undergo a VA health examination to determine whether or not they qualify for VA health benefits. Those who do will see a new and improved handbook coming their way sometime next year.
To those men and women who have served our country, and to their families, who have also made an incredible sacrifice, Happy Thanksgiving.
