KarHart Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Hi, I've been lurking in the forum for quite awhile, but this is the first time I've tried to post so I hope it works. I thought there might be some vets out there that do not know about the Agent Orange Fund. My husband is a Vietnam vet who was diagnosed with NSCLC in Oct. 04. He was already on 100% disability with the VA and could get his care there for free. However, we are using his Medicare ins. and going to Moffitt Cancer Center. He has applied to the Agent Orange fund which covers Vets that served in Vietnam for a number of conditions including lung cancer. I don't know too much about it but I think it will pay for treatment through the VA system. According to my husband there are also survivor benefits as this is considered a service connected condition. I would urge all Vietnam vets to contact their local VA about this. I think that they could also apply for disability benefits. We have not yet heard back on my husband's claim, but I will post again when I have more information. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Lamb Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Karen, thank you for the heads up.I am a disabled viet nam vet also. They do feel that agent orange was a contributing factor to my lung cancer,and I am already on disability with them as well as all my medical needs. My wife has no health insurance thru them but does get her all the time maintenance drugs in 3 mo. prescriptions thru Champ Va. at no charge. I agree with you that any vets should check into this.They should also recieve a newsletter from the VA quarterly that states all the new and/or changed coverages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 We got it. We applied to the VA on July 15 and got the approval letter by August 15. Ours went through FAST because I got a statement from the doctor indicating a poor prognosis and put it on the very top of the packet I sent in. You need that to fast track it. You can apply yourself but we asked the assistance of the VFW and that may also have helped. Apply asap, even if you don't have all your paperwork together, as benefits date from the date of application. Jim gets 100% service connected disability, due to lung cancer, due to possible exposure to agent orange. We could have had free medical care for him at the VA, too, but it would be quite a trip for us and we are already getting excellent care on his other insurance. Plus - this is Compensation and is state and federal tax free. You get this compensation in addition to Social Security Disability. One does not knock out the other. YES, there is a survivor's benefit, also tax free. You can apply for that even if your Vietnam Vet spouse is already gone, if he died from lung cancer or prostrate cancer or some other conditions. AND - LIFE INSURANCE. Anyone with a disability determination can automatically qualify for $10,000 life insurance, it is free for us because he is 100% disabiled, and you have the option to purchase $20,000 more for a varied fee, and this is regardless of health. DO IT ASAP. There is a time limit on the life insurance. I think it is within a year of the disability determination. This compensation saved our butts. It is the reason I can stay home with Jim and care for him myself. It has given us all this time together. Margaret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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