The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a Scientific Review of three (3) new types of cancers that may have negatively impacted our deployed veterans.
The VA Study, announced on July 25, 2023, was initiated to determine whether there is a definite relationship between these three (3) types of cancers and toxic substance exposures for service members.
The three (3) types of cancers selected for the Review Study are: acute leukemia; chronic leukemia and multiple myeloma.
The research will analyze the possible linkage between these cancers and deployed veterans to Afghanistan; Djibouti; Egypt; Iraq; Jordan; Somalia; Syria; Uzbekistan; Yemen; and all the Southwest Asia Operational Theater.
Twenty-three (23) presumptive medical conditions were designated by the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act in August of 2022. These medical conditions were presumed to be related to veterans’ exposure to burn pits and other toxic pollutants while deployed.
When a condition is presumptive, eligible veterans do not need to prove that their service caused the disease to receive disability compensation benefits for it. The VA automatically assumes service-connection for the disease and provides benefits accordingly.
The three (3) new conditions being studied will go through VA’s improved process for establishing presumptive conditions. This process considers all available science and data (including veterans claim data) to establish new presumptives, when appropriate, for veterans as soon as possible.
“We won’t rest until we understand whether there’s a connection between these deadly conditions and the service of our Nation’s heroes,” stated VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
“But make no mistake: veterans shouldn’t wait for this review process to conclude to apply for the support they deserve,” said VA Secretary McDonough. “If you’re a veteran living with acute leukemia, chronic leukemia or multiple myeloma, don’t wait—apply for your VA care and benefits today.”
Although these three (3) cancers are not yet considered presumptive, it is important to note that the VA does not require a condition or location to be presumptive in order to grant disability compensation benefits.
When a veteran applies for benefits (in the absence of a presumptive medical condition), the VA considers their claim on a case-by-case basis and grant disability compensation benefits if sufficient evidence shows that a veteran has a disability related to their military service.
My Opinion: In a previous column in The Clermont Sun newspaper, I discussed the plight of 15,000 veterans that were deployed to the Karshi-Khanabad (K-2) Air Base in Uzbekistan. Over seventy-five (75%) percent of these veterans have developed some sort of illness or cancer that is related to their K-2 deployment.
According to a 2015 Army Study, these veterans have a five hundred (500%) percent higher likelihood of developing cancer and are dying at an increasing rate. On April 9, 2023, several veterans sued the Department of Defense in order to obtain records about the toxic conditions at K-2.
The Research Study started by the VA on July 25, 2023 for these three (3) cancers has now identified Uzbekistan as a focal point for new presumptive conditions.
The twenty-three (23) conditions designated by the PACT Act focused on cancers of the head and neck regions. This new 2023 VA Study will focus solely on the leukemias and multiple myeloma that originated elsewhere in the body.
I would strongly agree with VA Secretary McDonough that veterans suffering from leukemia or multiple myeloma should apply for VA care and benefits immediately.
I would also ask Congress to investigate why the time lapse occurred from the publishing of the 2015 Army Study on K-2 to the present and why it was not acted upon immediately.
Why do veterans have to sue the Department of Defense in April of 2023 to obtain records about the K-2 Air Base?
The passage of the PACT Act of 2022 opened the door on getting the veterans the benefits and care that they earned. But not all veterans are receiving these earned benefits!
The Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), like the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), must continue to advocate for our veterans, especially those who served at the K-2 Air Base in Uzbekistan!
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a 32-year retired Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman and the Adjutant of DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at: plahovinsak@msn.com.