Phoenix, AZ: One Renaissance Tower, Two North Central Avenue, 18th & 19th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85004 Guam Agent Orange veteran exposure advances in Congress | News Updated: July 12, 2020. 3967 incorporates Congressman Michael San Nicolas' H.R. "Hopefully. A 2018 Government Accountability Office report concluded, however, that in the absence of records -- including those that were incomplete or have been lost -- and without credible soil samples, exposure could not be conclusively proven or disproven. Through this and other examples, VA has awarded some veterans benefits based on exposure in Guam, although they have been decided on a case-by-case basis. One lab found trace elements of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, thereby indicating the presence of the residual form of Agent Orange in the soils tested. Guam May be Another Source of Agent Orange Exposure In early May 2020, two veterans advocacy groups published a white paper indicating Veterans who served in Guam from 1962 through 1975 were likely exposed to Agent Orange or some other dioxin containing herbicides https://www.nvlsp.org/images/uploads/2020.05.08_-_NVLSP-VLSC_White_Paper.pdf . The accredited veterans advocates at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD have decades of experience successfully representing veterans with complex VA disability claims. Copy this embed code to share the infographic on your own site. The VA did not respond to a request for comment before press time. Reporting on utilities, education and other topics. According to a new white paper released on May 8, 2020 by the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School (VLSC) and the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP), veterans who served on Guam from 1962 to 1975 satisfy the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) legal standard for exposure to Agent Orange and other dioxin-containing herbicides. Has VA Granted Claims in Favor of Guam Veterans? Tens of thousands of U.S. service members were assigned to Guam during the Vietnam War, where three quarters of all U.S. B-52 bombers used in the air campaign were based. Sen. Chuck Schumer announced a plan Tuesday to expand the list of covered diseases linked to the toxic herbicide Agent Orange for Vietnam . Cleveland, OH: 600 Superior Ave. East, Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH, 44114 The information these cookies collect will not personally identify you, and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites. Philsan Isaak 25 and Shyamala Ramakrishna 24 have received Soros Fellowships to support their graduate studies. The GAO report concluded that the list was not as up to date as the available records would allow because DoD and VA lack clearly identified responsibilities for validating this information and criteria have not been implemented to determine which locations and dates to include on the list. Specifically, DoD with the U.S. and Guam Environmental Protection Agencies are conducting testing at Anderson Air Force Base on Guam. These newer tests, however, results prove otherwise. A research report released by two veteran advocacy groups has given a boost to compensation claims made by Vietnam-era vets who served on Guam. It could also control the severity of a fire and reduce the overall destruction in any given area. Seattle, WA: 506 2nd Ave,Suite 1400,Seattle, WA 98104. If your VA claim based on Agent Orange in Guam has been denied, contact the team at CCK today at800-544-9144. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Two veterans advocacy groups published a policy paper Monday saying that veterans who served on Guam between 1962 and 1975 . Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Guam: report - Audacy In 2017, Rep. Dennis Ross, a Florida Republican who left Congress last year, introduced a bill that would have given presumptive status to ill veterans who served on Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Since that time, we have provided compassionate The start date for the covered service period begins on Jan. 9, 1962. The manufacture of 2, 4, 5-T at high temperatures is associated with anextremely toxicbyproduct known as2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD, more commonly referred to as TCDD dioxin. However, there is new research based on both oral history and private archives that suggests that Agent Orange was used within the territory. Agent Orange was an infamous chemical used as a tactical measure in the military during the Vietnam War. This new report references soil collected at the Tiyan Junction location which yielded higher concentrations than other samples. By using our website, you agree to the use of certain cookies. Countries cant tax their way to long-term prosperity. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. It was introduced by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., and includes provisions from other legislation from San Nicolas to include Guam and other Pacific territories as places where Agent Orange. Service members have said that they used Agent Orange across Guam, as well as other types of toxic herbicides, yet the VA has largely ignored these claims. New report shows evidence of Agent Orange in Guam soil But what's known now is that its toxic components were utilized on island. The House report accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 included a provision that the GAO review the governments handling of Agent Orange on Guam. The US Government Won't Admit to Agent Orange Use on Guam During the Vietnam War, tens of thousands of veterans served on Guam, an important base for the Air Force's B-52 strategic bomber force. However, there does seem to be some degree of herbicide use in Guam, which would mean that Agent Orange survivors in Guam should have access to the same disability benefits as someone who served in the Vietnam War. According to private, government records and historical archives, thereisevidence that Agent Orange was used during the Vietnam War Era. The fact remains that both groups of veterans were exposed to the same herbicide agents. Specifically, Agent Orange was a mixture of two different kinds of highly toxic chemicals: 2, 4-D and 2, 4, 5-T. Service Connection Due to Agent Orange Exposure in Guam, Locations in Guam Where Herbicides Were Used, The Myth of Tactical vs. Commercial Herbicides, February 2021 Updated Report on Exposure in Veterans Who Served in Guam. Mai is a graduate of Ryerson University's journalism program and completed her Master's in International Affairs and Public Policy at Carleton University. However, the concentrations of these toxic chemicals did not exceed U.S. EPA screening levels. Copyright 2023 Hill & Ponton, P.A.. All Rights Reserved. These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make to give you better functionality and preferences such as text size, fonts and other customizable website elements. The use of the herbicide i.e. Do You Have Long-Term Disability Insurance Coverage? Finally, the herbicides in question were known to contain TCDD," the 2019 sampling report stated. If these dioxins continue to exist in our soils and other places then we need to remove them, and I want that to happen thats my goal also, she said. "We still perform our regulatory duties, permitting, enforcement and compliance, and once we have everything back in place, we will resume the investigation. Watch for it. This exposure includes dioxin-containing herbicides other than Agent Orange, meaning the exposure is notlimited toAgent Orange. This is not the first time that the VA has been challenged about how the department has treated veterans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange. The Department of Defense maintained that Agent Orange was never used on Guam, despite claims by several Guam veterans who testified that they sprayed the herbicide on different areas on Guam. Guardian angel. The new testing results ultimately showed thatTCDD was found at 8 out of the 10 locations sampled. Houston, TX: 2925 Richmond Ave, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77098 Agent Orange is composed of equal parts2, 4-Dand2, 4, 5-T both common herbicides until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency halted all use of 2, 4, 5-T in the 1980s over toxicity concerns. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. H.R. Moyer assisted with soil sampling in October 2019. In late 2018, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that at least one ship carrying Agent Orange stopped at Apra Harbor en route to Vietnam more than 50 years ago. They may also be used to keep track of what [products, video, links, etc.] Exposure to Agent Orange in Guam? - Jones Elder Law But how does that fare with the PACT Act now in tow? The ultimate goal is to properly compensate Vietnam-era veterans who served during a period of exposure between 1962 to 1975 and ensuring that monetary compensation is a task for the U.S. Congress, according to Terlaje. Hustle Culture: Is This the End of Rise-and-Grind? "I think you have to see it as an admission that Agent Orange, or at least some sort of herbicide, was used on Guam," said attorneyJohn Wells, a retired U.S. Navy commander and chairman ofMilitary-Veterans Advocacy Inc. What is certain is that the components of Agent Orange were used on Guam. Laos from December 1, 1965 to September 30, 1969; Cambodia, specifically at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969 to April 30, 1969; Johnson Atoll or a ship that called at Johnston Atoll from January 1, 1972 to September 30, 1977; On or near the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) between September 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971; Active duty and reservist personnel who had regular contact with C-123 aircraft between 1969 and 1986. In these instances, VA counts the in-service exposure as the event. However, there is no evidence to show whether any cargo was offloaded. Guam EPA had been investigating the use of Agent Orange on Guam, but efforts stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.