Getting MPNs on the "presumptive list" means that the VA assumes that a particular disease is related to a vet's military service and will provide benefits that cover disease treatment. (See diseases on the presumptive list for Agent Orange Exposure here.)
The statement from MPN Advocacy and Education International spokesperson Ann Brazeau reads:
Dear Vietnam Veterans and Family Members:
We have not forgotten you. Although our correspondence may wane, we have not stopped working on your behalf to get MPNs on the VA’s "presumptive" list of diseases.
Last week, I wrote a letter directly to Secretary [of Veterans Affairs, Alan] McDonald requesting a meeting before the election on November 4, 2016. I explained our situation and the fact that our data base of Vietnam veterans with an MPN had grown to over 400 individuals. I explained, too, the one common denominator was their exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam and stateside at different camps. I immediately received a response saying my letter would be delivered to the appropriate person. Two days later, I received a lengthy email from the director of Environmental Health pre 9/11 Era. A phone call the same day from the director gave me an opportunity to share everything we had regarding the health issues, challenges faced by you with the VA and the need for further research into the number of veterans with this rare blood cancer and their exposure to Agent Orange/Dioxin.
Finally, after two years, we are closer to a solution. The director is working on getting more data from their data bases and with their scientists and medical personnel. We see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you so much for your patience.You will be the first to know when we have any updates.The link to MPN Advocacy & Education International is in the links list at right.
For those of us NOT exposed to Agent Orange, this news is important because placing MPNs on the "presumptive list" establishes that a chemical component could be involved in the mutation of the genes that cause MPNs. The closer we come to understanding the complexity of the causes for MPNs, the closer we will be to better treating and perhaps some day curing ET and it's "sister" diseases.
Be well!
Ms Brazeau
ReplyDeleteI can find no updates from you anywhere on the internet regarding the link between Essential Thrombocytosis and my exposure to Agent Orange from my time in Vietnam during the war. I have been trying to establish my claim with the VA and would love to know the latest information the Presumptive list.
Thank you
Col (Ret) Harold F. Beamer USAF
I'm Jean, and this site is not affiliated with Ann Brazeau or MPN Education & Advocacy. I'm just an ET patient trying to follow this and other issues pertaining to our cancer.
DeleteThe latest news on MPNs and Agent Orange was posted on the MPN E&A Web site in 2017. https://mpnadvocacy.com/2017/08/agent-oranges-possible-link-to-rare-cancer-type-sparks-advocacy-efforts/
Hurdles apparently remain in getting Agent Orange recognized as a presumptive cause for MPNs.
This info is of interest to me, too, because I grew up near the chemical plant where both napalm and Agent Orange were made. My dad, who worked in the plant, also had ET. I would not be eligible for treatment benefits, but it would be helpful to my siblings and children to know about possible causes.
I will post movement on this issue as I receive updates.
Meantime, best to you.