BENEFITS FOR VETERANS EXPOSED TO THE HERBICIDE AGENT ORANGE

Agent Orange, in and of itself, is not a disease. It is an herbicide used during the Vietnam Conflict as a defoliant. Every serviceperson who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975, is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange.

The following diseases have been accepted by the Secretary, U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as presumptive disabilities associated with the exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange (Ref: 38 CFR 3.309(e)):

      Parkinson's Disease
      B Cell (Hairy) Leukemia
      Ischemic Heart Disease
Chloracne (must have manifest itself to a 10% or more within one year from last exposure).
Diabetes Mellitus (Type II)
Hodgkin's Disease
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Multiple Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Acute and sub-acute peripheral neuropathy
Prophyria Cutanea Tardia (must have manifested itself to a 10% or more within one year from last exposure).
Prostate Cancer
Respiratory cancers (the lung, bronchus, larynx or trachea)
Soft Tissue sarcoma

If you now have, or have ever been, diagnosed with any of the above disease's, and served 'in-country' in Vietnam, you should file a claim for entitlement to service connection compensation with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Point of Contact: Jimmy Lee Wallace, VFW State Service Officer, 6437 Garners Ferry Road, Suite 1124, Columbia, SC 29209, phone (803) 647-2442

SPECIAL PAYMENTS FOR SERVICE MEMBERS WHO SERVED UNDER
STOP LOSS ORDERS

Under provisions Congress enacted this summer through the 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act, service members will receive $500 for every month they were held under stop-loss orders.

The Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay is available to service members who had their enlistment extended or retirement suspended due to the Stop Loss between September 11, 2001, and September 30, 2009. Service members from every branch of the military will receive compensation.

Service members may begin submitting claims for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay, and have until October 21, 2010 to do so. Service members must provide documented proof they were Stop Lossed with their claim. Family members of deceased service members should contact the appropriate military service for assistance in filling their claim.

Contact and claim information may be found at:
Army - www.stoplosspay.army.mil
Navy - Send e-mail to NXAG_N132C@navy.mi
Marines - www.manpower.usmc.mil/stoploss
Air Force - www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss

Donations Made to Department to assist with the funding of the
Veterans Service Office

The below listed Posts, Districts and individuals have made donations specifically to our State Veterans Service Program. These monetary donations allow our VFW State Service Office to better care for our disabled veterans, their dependents and surviving spouses. Their generous donations are greatly appreciated.

Posts: 641,2779,2889,3034,3096,3447,LA3447,4262,LA6087,6091,6732,6734,8069,8346,8738,9138,9509,9539,10058,10256,10804,10980

Districts: D1,D2,D3,D6,D7

Individuals: PSC Frank Fogner, PSC Willie E. Lark, Jack and Jeanette Ripley, I.H. Mores, John Hill, and 1 anonymous in memory of Denise Harrison