VA Posts Online List of Ships Associated with Presumptive Agent Orange
> Exposure
>
> WASHINGTON (Sept. 2, 2011)- Veterans who served aboard U.S. Navy and
> Coast Guard ships operating on the waters of Vietnam between January 9,
> 1962, and May 7, 1975, may be eligible to receive Department of Veterans
> Affairs (VA) disability compensation for 14 medical conditions
> associated with presumptive exposure to Agent Orange.
>
> An updated list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships confirmed to have
> operated on Vietnam's inland waterways, docked on shore, or had
> crewmembers sent ashore, has been posted at
> http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/ to assist Vietnam
> Veterans in determining potential eligibility for compensation benefits.
>
>
> "Posting of the ships list is an important recognition of the sacrifices
> U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Veterans made for this Nation," said Secretary
> of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "It provides an easier path for
> Veterans who served in Vietnam to get the benefits and services they are
> entitled to under the law."
>
> VA presumes herbicide exposure for any Veteran with duty or visitation
> within the country of Vietnam or on its inland waterways during the
> Vietnam era. Comprehensive information about the 14 recognized
> illnesses under VA's "presumption" rule for Agent Orange is also located
> on the webpage.
>
> In practical terms, Veterans with qualifying Vietnam service who develop
> a disease associated with Agent Orange exposure need not prove a medical
> link between their illnesses and their military service. This
> presumption simplifies and speeds up the application process for
> benefits.
>
> For questions about Agent Orange and the online list of ships, Veterans
> may call VA's Special Issues Helpline at 1-800-749-8387 and press 3.
>
> When a claim is filed by a Veteran, surviving spouse or child, VA will
> determine whether the Veteran qualifies for the presumption of exposure
> based on official records of the ship's operations. Ships will be
> regularly added to the list based on information confirmed in these
> official records.
>
> Even if a Veteran is not filing a claim, a Veteran may conduct his or
> her own research and submit scanned documentary evidence such as deck
> logs, ship histories, and cruise book entries via email to
> 211_AOSHIPS.VBACO@va.gov.
>
> Service on board ships anchored in an open water harbor, such as Da Nang
> Harbor, or on ships on other open waters around Vietnam during the war,
> is not considered sufficient for the presumption of Agent Orange
> exposure. For Veterans interested in obtaining deck logs, contact the
> National Archives at College Park, Md., at
> http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/researcher-info.html.
>
> The Agent Orange Claims Processing System website located at
> https://www.fasttrack.va.gov/AOFastTrack/ may be used to submit claims
> related to the three conditions added to the list of Agent Orange
> presumptives last year (Parkinson's disease, hairy cell and other
> chronic B-cell leukemias, and ischemic heart disease).
>
> This website makes it easy to electronically file a claim and allows
> Veterans and their physicians to upload evidence supporting the claim.
> It also permits online viewing of claim status.
>
> Veterans claiming other conditions may file online at VA's My-eBenefits
> web site at:
> https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal. They
> can check the status of their claim with a premium account (confirming
> their identity), and use a growing number of online services.
>
> Servicemembers may enroll in My-eBenefits using their Common Access Card
> at any time during their military service, or before they leave during
> their Transition Assistance Program briefings.
>
> Veterans may also enroll through their myPay or MyHealtheVet accounts,
> by visiting their local VA regional office or Veteran Service
> Organization, or by calling 1-800-827-1000.
>
> # # #
>
>

Mesothelioma & Navy Veterans

800 615-2270

From the 1930s through the mid-1970s the U.S. Navy utilized asbestos-containing products in its ships and shipyards, principally for the compound's extreme fire resistance. For a time the Navy even mandated the use of asbestos, employing the deadly substance in more than 300 materials for construction and repair aboard warships and overhaul at shipyards.

Asbestos was particularly used in insulation and for any products located in engine rooms, where heat resistance is of utmost importance. But virtually no section of a naval ship built before the 1970s is free of asbestos, as it was used in fire, engine, and boiler rooms, as well as mess halls, sleep quarters, and navigation rooms. In addition, products such as cables, gaskets, valves, adhesives and many others contained asbestos.

According to a revealing statistic, more than 30 percent of Americans beset with a terrible disease called mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos during military service. What is mesothelioma?  It is a rapacious cancer that attacks the internal lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. As early as 1939 the Navy's Surgeon General was aware that asbestosis was caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. The general's report covered the health conditions at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and revealed the yard's pipe covers and insulators exposed workers to the caustic asbestos dust.

Despite this knowledge, the Navy continued usage of asbestos for nearly four decades, proving that industrial production received higher regard than human safety.

Naval personnel working in the construction, repair, demolition, and renovation of ships and buildings were exposed to asbestos, many in high quantities for extended periods of time. Sailors stationed aboard these asbestos-laden warships were often showered in asbestos dust. Many recall sleeping in bunks below asbestos-covered pipes and having to shake the dusty material of their bunks daily. Due to its jagged atomic structure, asbestos is very brittle and breaks into particles readily. The tiny particles are effortlessly inhaled adhere to the internal lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart.

Close quarters aboard ships and shipyards inevitably led to many asbestos materials being struck during normal operations, which led to the inhalation of the fragile substance and attachment to clothing. Personnel routinely carried asbestos dust home on their clothes, exposing family and friends to the toxic compound.

Since the mid-70s, remarkably fewer amounts of asbestos-containing products are used on new ships. But in the early 1990s, the Navy began selling dozens of obsolete ships for scrap materials. Unfortunately, the dismantling of these toxic ships often takes place in depressed ports, where workers are not trained to handle asbestos and no protective measures are taken.

Surprisingly, some naval ships still contain asbestos, as the material may be imbedded in brakes, clutches, gaskets, and older construction materials. Regrettably, it seems that until firm and enforced regulations are implemented on the usage of this deadly substance, asbestos will persist to infect and damage yet another generation of innocent victims.

Asbestos.com offers information on mesothelioma & veterans, as well as a complete list of occupations, ships, and shipyards that could have put our Veterans at risk for developing a mesothelioma disease.  Additionally their Veterans Assistance Department offers extensive experience in filing VA claims and can help any veteran coping with mesothelioma receive benefits from the VA system.

The Veterans Assistance Department at Asbestos.com is available to provide free assistance to you and can help you with your Navy Veteran’s Assistance Claim. Our veterans benefit counselors are extremely knowledgeable and are a valuable resource that can answer your questions and alleviate any confusion. For guidance and additional information, please fill out this form. For a comprehensive packet about asbestos-related diseases please fill out this form.

Countless veterans are currently suffering from life-threatening illnesses that are a result of exposure to asbestos, a material that was commonly used in hundreds of military applications, products, and ships primarily because of its resistance to fire. 

The Mesothelioma Center provides a complete list of occupations, ships, and shipyards that could have put our Veterans at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases. In addition, they have thousands of articles regarding asbestos and mesothelioma and they’ve even created a veterans-specific section on their website in order to help inform them about the dangers of asbestos exposure.