SECVA Again Promises C-123 Decisions "Within Weeks"

In his first comment following February 27's promise of an announcement within a week, VA Secretary McDonald addresses C-123 veterans' Agent Orange exposure concerns Saturday May 2, with assurances of his announcement "within weeks."

Respectfully, Mr. Secretary, eight weeks and more have passed since the last promise.

Eight weeks, indeed the four years since we began asking VA's help, is a very long time to keep your hospital doors locked to veterans sickened by Agent Orange exposure. It is a very long time for VA to insist...or pretend, as Compensation and Pension wrote, "no conclusive evidence of TCDD causing adverse health effects."

VA executives, alerted to the infamous C&P "TCDD is harmless" advisory opinion termed it "an unfortunate choice of words." Indeed. Also medically and scientifically wrong in the extreme. Ask any VA oncologist or urologist! However, VA has been perfectly comfortable with allowing claims denied with that "unfortunate choice of words languish in the BVA deadwaters for years. Really, we see the cancers as even more unfortunate than VA's choice of words with which C&P orders C-123 claims denied.

Mr. Secretary, many of us have cancers, ALS and other illnesses that don't improve with VA's delay. Also, we have needs of our widows and widowers we'd like to bring to your attention.