There are many individuals who reach out to VetsFirst for assistance that are unaware of VA benefits they or their loved ones are entitled to.
This is especially the case for Vietnam Vets, who may have been exposed to herbicides like Agent Orange and have previously denied VA claims.
Did you know a series of court orders (Nehmer v. United States Department of Veterans Affairs) have caused the VA to re-open hundreds of thousands of Agent Orange claims?
Conditions that are presumptively service-connected for herbicide exposure now include chloracne, Type 2 diabetes (also known as Type II diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes), Hodgkin’s disease, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, B cell leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart disease.
VetsFirst has personally assisted numerous families with such claims, and we know there are many more out there.
Sandra Freas, a Philadelphia, PA resident and widow, whose husband had served in Vietnam, was unaware of the VA’s presumptive coverage for Agent Orange.
Sandra’s husband Walter had lost the use of his hands after his service due to radial nerve palsy, and had passed away from a heart condition.
VetsFirst was able to successfully pursue benefits on behalf of the Freas family, proving that Walter’s illness and subsequent death was due to exposure. Sandra now receives dependency and indemnity compensation.
“If it wasn’t for VetsFirst’s guidance, I would have never known his illness was covered by the VA. They were able to push my claim through in under a year,” explains Sandra.
“I think there are a lot of vets that need help, but don’t know where to turn. I’m just grateful there are programs like VetsFirst that are making a difference,” she adds.
Since assisting the Freas family, Sandra’s son, Brian, who has served as a police officer in Philadelphia for 18 years, has been spreading the word about VetsFirst to veterans who need help with VA benefits and claims.
We are honored to have their support!
You can learn more about eligibility for VA benefits related to Agent Orange exposure in our Knowledge Books.
For assistance with veterans-related issues, use our online help portal: Ask VetsFirst.