Navy Ships Agent Orange Exposure List (crew may have been exposed)
To view the full document click on the Link above

o Fiduciary Teleconference
o VA Form 21-7288(a), Daily Record of
Veterans Assistance Interviews
o Congressional Correspondence
o Homeless Veterans
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Policy (211)
Information on Vietnam Naval Operations
Compensation and Pension (C&P) Service has
initiated a program to collect data on Vietnam
naval operations for the purpose of providing
regional offices with information to assist with
development in Haas related disability claims
based on herbicide exposure from Navy
Veterans. To date, we have received verification
from various sources showing that a number of
offshore “blue water” naval vessels conducted
operations on the inland “brown water” rivers
and delta areas of Vietnam. We have also
identified certain vessel types that operated
primarily or exclusively on the inland
waterways. The ships and dates of inland
waterway service are listed below. If a
Veteran’s service aboard one of these ships can
be confirmed through military records during the
time frames specified, then exposure to herbicide
agents can be presumed without further
development.
All vessels of Inshore Fire Support [IFS]
Division 93 during their entire Vietnam tour
USS Carronade (IFS 1)
USS Clarion River (LSMR 409) [Landing Ship,Medium, Rocket]

benefits) under Public Law 109-461. Section
301 of the law allows the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay DEA benefits to
dependents of severely disabled servicemembers
who are pending discharge from the military.
Eligible dependents may now receive DEA
benefits before servicemembers are discharged.
The new category of eligible persons includes
the spouses and children of active duty
servicemembers who at the time of VA’s
decision:
· are hospitalized or receiving outpatient
medical care, services, or treatment;
· have a total disability permanent in nature,
incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in
the active military, naval, or air service; and
· are likely to be discharged or released from
service for the disability.

Fast Letter 09-52, Verification of
Participation in “Special Operations”
Incidents

On December 9, 2009 C&P Service released
Fast Letter 09-52, Verification of Participation
in “Special Operations” Incidents. This fast
letter provides instructions for verifying a
Veteran’s involvement in Special Operations
Forces classified missions or obtaining related
classified documents.

Correcting Erroneous Diagnostic Codes for
Undiagnosed Illness

Members of a Gulf War Veterans Information
Systems (GWVIS) Work Group have identified
many records, potentially involving qualifying
chronic disabilities associated with service in
Southwest Asia, with erroneous diagnostic
codes. These errors can negatively impact the
quality of the GWVIS reports which are
provided to stakeholders who monitor Gulf War
Veterans’ use of Compensation and Pension

Homeless Veterans
In an excerpt from Secretary’s Shinseki’s speech
given at the November 2009 Homeless Veteran
Summit in Washington, DC, the
Secretary stated, “Those who have served this
nation as Veterans should never find themselves
on the streets, living without care and without hope.”

There are 131,000 Veterans estimated tobe homeless on
any given night.
The Secretary is committed to ending homelessness
among Veterans within the next five years. We find
ourselves with an enormous challenge, and we
must do our part to help reach that goal.
As part of our efforts to end homelessness
among Veterans within five
years, Regional Offices increased the number of
homeless Veterans claims received and
processed during the first quarter in FY 2010.
The following data shows the number of
homeless Veterans claims received and
processed in FY 2010 against FY 2009.

....................Homeless Veteran Claims
.................FY 2009 1st Quarter .......
Received .........1,281.......Processed .......1,292............................ Received .. FY 2010 1st Quarter
Received..........2,187.......Processed........1,756

In comparing the data from the first quarter of
FY 2010 to the first quarter of FY 2009, there
was a 70.7% increase in the number of homeless
Veterans claims received and a 26.4%
increase in the number of homeless Veterans
claims processed.
Although the above numbers show a very
positive trend, there is still a great deal of work
to be done. The goal to eliminate homelessness
among Veterans will only be accomplished
through targeted, meaningful outreach, expedited
claims processing, and a true commitment by
every VA employee.
As a reminder to the regional offices, please
ensure that all homeless Veterans claims are
marked with the “Homeless Flash” in
VETSNET