Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Vietnam Veteran suffering from Agent Orange waiting 2 years for benefits

A Vietnam veteran has been waiting for more than two years for government benefits to help pay for treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and exposure to Agent Orange, WSMV Channel 4 reported. 
Tennessee resident Kenneth Moore was a 19-year-old stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War, and was sent several times to Vietnam for radio work. He recalls the strange powdery herbicide being sprayed on trees that landed on his clothes. When he returned to the states, he says, he began taking medicine to help with the nightmares of war, which still haunt him. 
So when Moore began having lung and heart problems, he filled out the Department of Veterans Affairs’ disability forms.
Now Moore is one of an estimated 5,000 Tennessee veterans mired in a backlog, waiting more than 125 days for their disability claims, according to a WSMV investigation. 
Upon his discharge, Moore’s papers state “Vietnam Campaign Medal,” and he was placed on the Agent Orange registry. His place on the registry came after Moore was diagnosed with heart disease by an Agent Orange specialist with the VA. He was also diagnosed by another doctor with PTSD. 
Still, the VA denied Moore his claim twice over a two-year period, the station reports. The VA said there was no proof of PTSD and no proof he was exposed to Agent Orange. And, because he was originally stationed in Thailand, they said there was no proof he was even ever in Vietnam. 
"It's just like, 'You're a liar,' you know," Moore told WSMV.
Read the rest of the story HERE and view a related video below:



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