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Questions & Answers
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Q514: I served on Guam from1965 to 1967 and I’ve had diabetes for many years now, do I qualify for anything from the VA? I worked in was crash control and I was around contaminants I believe ruined my health.
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Use Form Below To Respond
A1: New Agent Orange Discovery
A new investigative task force will "review and record reports from the community" on the use of polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, DDT and Agent Orange on Guam. According to a recent news release.
The task force will reach out to the community, review records and compile recent research data, and will attempt "to correlate these environmental pollutants with an array of congenital health problems that plague the island of Guam. (JL) 9/13/20
A2: Guam played a mojor roll during Vietnam on many bases agent orange was stored for use in Thailand and nam any contact with these agents have major problems for those people who handled this toxic material good luck it took me 15 yrs. (JS) 9/13/20
A3: You should look into Herbicides contamination on Guam. i believe AO may been used during your time frame. (DH) 9/13/20
A4: Yes, do qualify for benefits, because I serve on Adak, Alaska a Island from 71-72 and it was a toxic dump go to EPA site an see if Guam was classified as a superfund site. (AK) 9/13/20
A5: Sounds like you might qualify for more then that. To to your local veterans commission and ask. You might be denied one or two time but don't give up. Good luck. (EA) 9/13/20
A6: I suggest you talk to your local VSO at VFW or DAV and let them assist you. They have the knowledge and references. (RC) 9/13/20
A7: I concur with all the previous answers. Don't forget to follow up because your claim will be dismissed if you don't stay on top of it. Also, if you get a denial of benefits (compensation), protest it immediately. Keeping the claim going preserves benefit start date which is important because if you get approved beyond 1 year but you've stay on it, the benefits begin from the day the claim was initiated. NEVER give up and NEVER stop trying. When you finally get benefits, be sure that all service related health conditions are thoroughly considered and if not, keep going. Finally, after approval you may be able to argue the benefit start date to find if you are entitled to retroactive status. GOOD LUCK my fellow Viet Nam Vet. (GC) 9/14/20
A8: Take your discharge and make an appointment with an accredited VSO with the Am Legion, DAV, VFW or another service organization. They can explain your avenues to compensation. (GH) 9/15/20