Veterans Health Issues

I served three years in the US Army from 1968-1971. I spent a year in Vietnam as a door gunner on a helocopter. I am 100% disabled because of injuries suffered in combat. The worst of my problems is PTSD, this is a terrible thing to happen to a young man. I was 21 when it happened and when I came hom from Nam I felt like there was nothing left inside. I worry about all the solders fighting overseas and what will they be like when they come home. It took me almost 25 years before I knew what was wrong with my head.

John

 

Thats what we are here for John, go read PTSD and click on the site mentioned. Been there, done that, now elsewhere, you can be also.

 

I feel very lucky that the VA is giving me my meds took awhile to get approved but if the figures I have read are right almost 9 million Vets qualify for this sevice but the VA can only add a few at a time as they get the funding to cover these vets. My biggest concern is that congress seems to like to pass coverage so that they can get the headlines that they support our vets but then never fund the programs.

I had heard terrible stories about VA hospitals but since I have relied on the Harry S. Trueman VA hospital for a lot of my health concerns I can't praise the care I have received enough. The people I have come into contact have been good professionals and caring people. While serving I thought it was the right thing to do and now later in life I don't even want to think of where I would be if it wasn't for the support I receive from the VA.

 

John. PM me here with a time you want to talk at the parallel site as listed in my signature, my 'loose' time is usually mid afternoon EST.

 

Anyone know where the is a place for children of Vietnam veterans? My father was a Nam vet and i
I possibly have PTSD and agent orange effects. I was concieved 3 months after his arrival home in 1967. Life isn't easy for the children of these guys. I heard some horror stories from my dad, but i heard some good ones too. And I feel connected in some way to these vets. I can be a shoulder to listen if anyones interested.

thanks
Marsh

 

Agent Orange has been positivley medically linked to medical disorders in the children of those exposed to it; mainly birth disorders, but a few others also. Place 'agent orange children' into google, there is 337,000 sites. To my knowledge PTSD is not transferable. I am sure the presence of one with PTSD would affect family life in a major amount.

In the links thread there is a clickable site that offers 2 entried conserning children of Viet vets, I am not sure what info your seeking.

 

I just recently started recieving compensation and the ability to use VA facilities for service connected disabilities and most recently started taking meds for depression, mood swings, sinus problems, and sleeping disorders. All these are service connected from when I was in the Navy. Have any other Desert Storm Vets come here lately with any issues?

 

Your the first here to identify with Desert Storm, feel free to post about that time frame.

 

lilocolt, my husband is 90% disabled from the Navy for some of the same stuff, however, they refuse to call it what it is which is Gulf War Syndrone. Good luck with your fight, keep applying for greater disablility. Wish I could be more helpful but unfortunatly, it only gets worse as time goes on.

For more information put Joyce Riley's name into your search engine. She has more info on GWS than anyone else on the web, plus tons of links. I've got a bout two notebooks full of info on GWS but unfortuantly it would take days to post all the links and most of them came from her site originally anyway.

BTW what ship were you on????

 

I am so sorry for hearing of your husband's disabilities. I know that after you get out from the military, you are nothing to them any more. They gave me 30% at 2001 but they conventiently worded it to were I would only get compensated back to 2001 instead of when I put my claims in back in '95. I want to find out if I could fight to get the retro to back to 1995 but I don't know if I have a fighting chance with them. Thanks for the advice, I will see what her webpage is like. --Terry--

 

I was in the sand box in Hafar Al Batan and you have discribe me only leaving out a few items. Like; DJD, Nite sweats, hard time falling to sleep, intrusive thoughts, migrains. Just to name a few. Make sure to apply for SSD (social security disabilty) also.



TO ALL WHO READ THIS AND ARE VETS

----------WELCOME HOME----------

 

On my hands, I had some sort of rash, pretty severe. It started out as pretty large blisters, about the size of dimes, and within these blisters were many smaller sized blisters about the size of pencil points. They would get to the size of about a dime, burst and dry quickly to the point of breaking my skin open and bleed. I could hardly use my hands on any of the jobs I worked on. Very painful and seemed nothing would make the stuff go away. Rash began to go around my fingers, but never fully developed around them. No other places on body and seemed the problem would subsided for about a month then reoccur on regular basis. VA said I had rash on hands but nothing more. Had also growths similar to moles, called noids, I think on buttocks, which had all but 3 removed which never was told why they developed why I was aboard ship. Mood swings, depression, anxiety, and labled manic depressive after seeing physician at VA. Still have no medication for anxiety, stay nervous all the time and uptight. Bronchitis developed while aboard ship.

 

"Make sure to apply for SSD (social security disabilty) also."

You mean that individuals can receive SSD and Va disability at the same time?

 

Time out, lets regroup on this one. SSD is less than VA pension; if a person qualifies for both SSD and VA pension, the VA will match and raise the amount that it takes for the reciver to be at VA level for the same limitation. Yes you can recieve them both at the same time but the VA's amount will only amount to the missing differances.

 

If one has service connected disability and is eligble for SSD they get both. Its just the non SC pension which is reduced by SSD. Also if you are getting the nonSC pension they reduce it by the amount of any income you have but do allow deductions for medical expenses.

Kirk

 

My stint was in Phu Hiep 66 - 67. The 101 airborne hadn't even arrived yet! There were only Special Forces, Korean Marines and Auzzy Marines at the time. There was plenty of agent orange to go around. I've looked at the statisitcs and there is no doubt I was in a heavy exposure zone.
Right now I am 57 years old and in pretty good health (allergies started when I was 40ish). I am very grateful to the Lord for this. In the years after Nam I initially messed up pretty bad by heading for Haight-Ashbury in 68. Once I began my pilgrimage for truth I completely left off all toxins I could avoid, quit heavy smoking and started cleaning up my body through trial and error. I became a "hard core grainola" :haha: and still am to this day. I carefully studied various health food regimes and even went strict vegon for 5 years. I've made every effort to keep this old carcass clean since those days. I made use of fasting also. We have grown most of our own meat and veggies for more than a quarter century now. We have bees and do not eat processed sugars and we work too hard. Can't seem to get on top of things but we go on. I've been breathing clean air and drinking good well water and working my tail off, blood sweat and tears they say.
But my mind was very disturbed. Not just by the war but growing up in inner city Philadelphia really was bad. In Vietnam I smoked dope all the time with the rest of the guys. I didn't know. Haight-Ashbury was even worse with loose morals and powerful hallucinagens. I want to tell you that early on I became an ardent follower of Jesus Christ (I call Him Yeshua Mashiach). He healed my mind and heart. I have peace. I sleep good and I am able to see the dark things of this world in such a light that fills my heart with hope every day for the future. All my fears I have put on Him.
He has been good to me and I truly believe He has led me into this lifestyle.
I don't know if agent orange will nab me but I can tell you the quality of my life up til now has been good. All I'm saying is that if you are still looking for an answer there is one to be found. Here's what happened to me. pilgrimage
Thanks and good to you!

 

My husband was in the Navy during the vietnam era,he has a lot of hearing loss.he was a jet mechanic and was on the flight deck.other than hearing loss and bad nerves he has no medical problems so far.I have asked him to check with the VA about medical coverage, he has no insurance on the job he is doing.Do you think he could get help from the VA?Where can I get the papers to get him started?any help would be appreicated.Mary

 

Contact any veterans orginazition, VFW, Am Vets, ect or your state vets rep in the blue pages of the phone book. Have the DD 214 available for first contact and send for complete medical records, the vet rep can show you how to do that.

Its not charity, its earned support.

 

I was able to get medical coverage thru the VA rather easily. Just show up to the medical center with the DD214. As long as there is space in the current budget you should be able to be covered.
If you are looking for compensation, that is a more complicated matter.
GOOD LUCK!