Another Veteran's Day has passed with the usual speeches of and support for our veterans. And yet, when that support is asked our elected representatives don't always even bother to answer the call. I have asked Rep. Walsh and Arcuri if they will support the Atomic Veterans Relief Act and have waited many weeks for an answer.
The bill, if it even gets to become a bill, should help many Atomic Vets to get the compensation they deserve. My claim goes back to WW II and is still in the court. The way the Department of Veterans Affairs has arranged how a veteran can file a claim makes it very difficult if not impossible to win.
There are three ways to file a claim. The first one is if your cancer is detected within one year after discharge they will accept your claim. This does not do veterans any good as cancer does not manifest itself that fast.
The second way is if you can prove that you were on duty in Hiroshima or Nagasaki and developed one of the cancers on the list, they will accept your claim.
The trick here is to prove that you had duty in one of these cities or environs, which is not very easy to do.
The third way is if you say you were on duty in one of these cities and the government can't prove you were not they have to accept that you were.
However, in this part of the law you have to have a dose estimate that the Department of Defense guessed at as there are no badges or other evidence. So far in all of these years they have stuck to less than one rem as the most dosage any veteran could have. As it takes five times that to be considered on a claim, you can see this does not do a veteran any good either.
This bill would take out the dose estimate for veterans who have any of the cancers on a long list. This bill may be the last chance for Atomic Veterans, who are now in their 80s, to get the justice they are entitled to.
This bill has 53 sponsors, none of whom are from Central New York. In fact, only two from New York and they are in the New York City area.
It seems that our local representatives should at least speak out and tell us if all their fine speeches about helping veterans are true.
Don't you think it is time for justice for Atomic Veterans?
Richard L. Nash
Auburn
There are three ways to file a claim. The first one is if your cancer is detected within one year after discharge they will accept your claim. This does not do veterans any good as cancer does not manifest itself that fast.
The second way is if you can prove that you were on duty in Hiroshima or Nagasaki and developed one of the cancers on the list, they will accept your claim.
The trick here is to prove that you had duty in one of these cities or environs, which is not very easy to do.
The third way is if you say you were on duty in one of these cities and the government can't prove you were not they have to accept that you were.
However, in this part of the law you have to have a dose estimate that the Department of Defense guessed at as there are no badges or other evidence. So far in all of these years they have stuck to less than one rem as the most dosage any veteran could have. As it takes five times that to be considered on a claim, you can see this does not do a veteran any good either.
This bill would take out the dose estimate for veterans who have any of the cancers on a long list. This bill may be the last chance for Atomic Veterans, who are now in their 80s, to get the justice they are entitled to.
This bill has 53 sponsors, none of whom are from Central New York. In fact, only two from New York and they are in the New York City area.
It seems that our local representatives should at least speak out and tell us if all their fine speeches about helping veterans are true.
Don't you think it is time for justice for Atomic Veterans?
Richard L. Nash
Auburn
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