To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate

Equality wrt Vet dioxin exposure presumption

We, the undersigned, petition the US Senate, US Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation that makes ALL veterans have equal presumption of exposure to dioxins while in the service of the United States at any location or unit. We feel that ALL veterans MUST be treated equally with respect to dioxin exposure by the US government and Department of Veterans' Affairs.

NOTE: Veterans must also still prove they have a recognized condition that may be caused by dioxin exposure during or after service to get DVA benefits.

Currently, only veterans of the Vietnam Conflict are afforded this in a limited presumption, “Boots on Ground” legislation, if they were in the Republic of Vietnam (served in the Republic of Vietnam between 1/9/62 and 5/7/75), per the Department of Veterans' Affairs. In fact, any current end date for any location would be invalid, as dioxins stay active for much longer than the time since the 1962 admitted RVN Agent Orange / dioxin start date, current end date is the end date for RVN service, per the DVA.

Why is this important?

Our government needs to do its job and take care of the veterans as prescribed by the constitution, President Abraham Lincoln and DOD regulations.

In many locations and time frames, the DVA (Dept. of Veteran's Affairs)assumes that units were not exposed or vet served there, when the DOD only fails to find the data that confirms exposure or service connection occurred, a low priority for the DOD (Dept. of Defense), and oftern due to poor, lost, classified and missing old records.

The DVA has the proof in their claims and decision records and are legally obligated to research these; this is a must!

Dioxins are from Agent Orange / Rainbow - Tactical Herbicides, some PCBs and insecticides. They were used to defoliate / defend perimeter fence lines around bases and TAC sites, to prevent fires, in hydraulic fluids, in electrical equipment, in cleaning fluids and to control insects / pests. Currently, many vets are not getting these benefits, as many exposed units are not listed for many locations, many countries; due to poor, destroyed, classified and lost records (per DOD). Also found in soil and well water at many U.S. bases, dioxin is one cause of many medical conditions. The DVA acts like the DOD said all other units were not exposed. In many locations and time frames, the DVA assumes that units were not exposed or that the vet did not serve there, when the DOD only fails to find the data that confirms exposure or that service occurred, a low priority for the DOD and due to poor, lost, classified and missing decades old records.

Many spouses and offspring are also effected by this, and this becomes very hard for them to prove!

I am told that less than 5% of claims have been approved; some of those have taken decades, this is statistically lop-sided! Too many vets and others that should have been included in past and present legislation have and are being left behind. Trying to get wider legislation and to uncover unfair DVA practices to "Deny, deny until they die"!

I was in an AO / dioxin exposed unit, one of many and in many countries, not recognized by the DVA / DOD due to poor, missing, classified records such as some in RVN, ROK ( the 38th Brgd. ADA and all other missile sites in Korea and support units ), ghost walkers, AF bases, Okinawa, Panama, and many CONUS bases, to name just a few of MANY. Many air bases had exposure to herbicides that were sprayed around aircraft taxiways and aircraft parking areas. Veterans worked and inhaled 24/7 these herbicides that were sprayed within a few feet of their work areas.

SIGN, Pass along to others too, email, post link to group pages like FB every few days, and SHARE!

I am hoping that someone in DC realizes that if this is done, they would not have to admit to any specific US or other location being contaminated, and also not release any classified data, while still enabling vets their decades overdue and just benefits. They should only then need to prove they are a vet, spouse or offspring and have a recognized medical condition(s) during the decades that contamination occurred worldwide.

Make sure to state your unit, location and time frame when adding a comment.

https://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml contact your elected officials too WITH HEADS UP!

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations at 202-225-3569 or Mr. Eric Hannel, Subcommittee Staff Director, at [email protected]

To Report Suspected Wrongdoing in VA Programs and Operations: Telephone: 1-800-488-8244 [email protected]
(Hotline Information: http://www.va.gov/oig/hotline/default.asp)

https://www.change.org/p/va-secretary-robert-a-mcdonald-have-thomas-murphy-veteran-s-antagonist-dismissed-from-the-va?tk=FTaxWjRwfrqX5Ifuqgs-D9K6jfg_S71cKnBkbeS3uX0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=signature_receipt&utm_campaign=new_signature

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