About a year ago I was reading and found that Vietnam veterans qualified for VA medical benefits. About the same time, I was talking with a neighbor who came over to ask me about hearing aids. I have bimodal hearing; I have a cochlear implant (CI) on one ear and a hearing aid (Ha)on the other ear which doesn't help a lot. He had researched HAs and he was shocked by their costs. This was prior to the FDA changing the regulations requiring prescriptions to purchase HAs. Later that evening I remembered that he was a Vietnam veteran. I walked over to his house and suggested that he check with the local VA office. I knew a local guy who was a Korean vet who asked me about CIs and later got implanted at the VA's expense. My neighbor went to the local VA office and registered. He came over to thank me as he was transferring his medications and his medical records to the VA eliminating the need for health insurance and it was saving him hundreds of dollars monthly.
This afternoon he came over to tell me he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The VA not only was paying for his treatment but also giving him full disability until the cancer was no longer an issue. This added up to thousands of dollars a month. He said the VA was all over his situation and he was pleased.
I served 8 years and 9 days of active duty during Vietnam but never served in Vietnam thus I don't qualify for benefits.
My reason for posting this is to encourage Vietnam veterans to check with the VA as there are a lot of medical issues due to the Agent Orange settlement that can help them receive benefits during those times of need.
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