The VA is aware that contact with certain hazardous substances during military service cause illnesses and conditions requiring treatment. Veterans who have been exposed to hazardous materials and chemicals could be eligible for compensation. A Mobile, AL veterans disability benefits lawyer can discuss your legal rights and help you receive the payments you need.
Exposure to chemical agents in warfare has always been a problem for servicemen and women. Recent examples of this danger are found in Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan. Environmental hazards in those and other places can cause serious illnesses. Some particular examples mentioned by the VA include:
- Particulate matter and large burn pits in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Djibouti
- A large sulfur fire at a mine near Mosul, Iraq
- Hexavalent chromium at a water treatment plant in Basra, Iraq
- Pollutants from a waste incinerator near Atsugi, Japan
These are just some examples of places where a veteran may have come into contact with hazardous substances. Talk to a Mobile, AL veterans disability benefits attorney about your particular situation. If you developed a disease or illness after serving, you could be eligible for health care and compensation payments. You have to demonstrate that your condition is directly linked to certain environmental hazards, and to your service.
Any serviceman or woman can come into contact with hazardous materials. Here are some substances to which you may have been exposed while serving and how to apply for compensation:
Asbestos. Those who served in Iraq, Southeast Asia, or the Middle East may have demolished older buildings containing the toxic substance. They may also have been exposed through their work in shipyards, mines, and through vehicle repair. To apply for benefits, a veteran needs to provide medical records that evidence an asbestos-related illness or disability. Service records indicating job specialty and a doctor’s statement linking your condition to service-related asbestos contact are also required.
Camp Lejeune (North Carolina) Water Contamination. This is for veterans who served at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River. Contaminants in the drinking water at these locations has been connected to certain diseases. Veterans, Reservists, and Guardsmen may have developed the following conditions:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
You need to show you developed one or more of these and that you served at a location listed above.
Gulf War illnesses in Afghanistan and Southwest Asia. You may suffer from different illnesses related to service in these regions. Diseases linked to Afghanistan include:
- Brucellosis
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)
- Malaria
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Nontyphoid Salmonella
- Shigella
- Visceral leishmaniasis
- West Nile Virus
Those connected to Southwest Asia are:
- Functional gastrointestinal disorders
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Other undiagnosed illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, and headaches
To be eligible for compensation, the condition must have started within a certain time period of active duty service. For Afghanistan, that means on or after September 19, 2001; for Southwest Asia, that means before December 31, 2016. Your Mobile, AL veterans benefits lawyer can explain more about these and other qualification requirements.
Other dangerous substances that veterans may have been exposed to are:
- Agent Orange
- Mustard gas
- Lewisite
- Radiation
- Exposure through Project 112/SHAD
Each of these has specific eligibility requirements for benefits compensation, and are typically linked to certain geographic regions. In many cases, you also must not have been dishonorably discharged. An experienced Mobile, AL veterans attorney can discuss other criteria you need to meet.
We Serve Veterans Who Served Our Country
When servicemen and women sacrifice for their country, they may have been exposed to hazardous materials. And when these materials render them ill or disabled, they deserve compensation. You’ve served our country. Let the veterans’ benefits attorneys at Ascend Disability Lawyers, LLC, serve you. Call us today to schedule a consultation.
