February 18, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Next Meeting
VA Lists Ships Exposed to Agent Orange
Veterans who served aboard U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships operating on the waters of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, may be eligible to receive Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation for 14 medical conditions associated with presumptive exposure to Agent Orange. An updated list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships confirmed to have operated on Vietnam's inland waterways, docked on shore, or had crewmembers sent ashore, has been posted at the VA Public Health Agent Orange webpage to assist Vietnam veterans in determining potential eligibility for compensation benefits. For questions about Agent Orange and the online list of ships, veterans may call VA's Special Issues Helpline at 1-800-749-8387 and press 3. For more information,
Find Your Ship
Ships or boats that were part of the Mobile Riverine Force, Inshore Fire Support (ISF) Division 93 or had one of the following designations operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam. Veterans whose military records confirm they were aboard these ships qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure.
During your Vietnam tour, did your ship or boat have one of the following designations?
■LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanized)
■LCU (Landing Craft, Utility)
■LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel)
■LST (Landing Ship, Tank)
■PBR (Patrol Boat, River)
■PCF (Patrol Craft, Fast or Swift Boat)
■PG (Patrol Gunboat)
■WAK (Cargo Vessel)
■WHEC (High Endurance Cutter)
■WLB (Buoy Tender)
■WPB (Patrol Boat)
■YFU (Harbor Utility Craft)
Alphabetized Ship List
If your vessel is not included in the Mobile Riverine Force, ISF Division 93 or above designations, check VA's Alphabetized Ship List:
VA Changes Emergency Care Policy
The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced a change in regulations regarding payments for emergency care provided to eligible veterans in non-VA facilities. The new regulation extends VA's authority to pay for emergency care provided to eligible veterans at non-VA facilities until the veterans can be safely transferred to a VA medical facility. More than 100,000 veterans are estimated to be affected by the new rules. For more information about emergency care in non-VA facilities, visit the VA website.
Last WWI Veteran Dies
Florence Patterson Green, "the last known surviving veteran of World War I," has died in West Norfolk, England just two weeks short of her 111th birthday. Green signed up in the Women's Royal Air Force 94 years ago. She served food to the troops at two British air bases. The National World War I Museum In Kansas City, Missouri conducted a wreath laying ceremony to mark Mrs. Green's passing as the last known veteran of the Great War.
