By George Compton
September 2, 2006
pictureOn behalf of Rabbi Dov Muchnik and the Chabad of Oxnard, I would like to invite veterans and their families to the dedication of a Torah (the whole body of Jewish religious literature, including the Scripture and Talmud), to honor and memorialize members of the U.S. military.
The ceremony will be Sept. 10 at Fisherman's Wharf, Channel Islands Harbor (Victoria Avenue and Channel Islands Boulevard), beginning at 1 p.m.
The first letters of the Liberty Torah, as it will be known, will be inscribed by a Jewish scribe at the ceremony to coincide with the eve of the fifth anniversary of 9/11. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Liberty Torah will be sent to Israel, where it will be completed and returned to the Chabad of Oxnard.
For additional information, visit http://www.LibertyTorah.com, or contact Rabbi Muchnik at 382-4770.
Q. I served in the Navy during Vietnam and applied for compensation for diabetes. My claim was denied because I did not serve on land. There is a rumor that the requirement to serve on land has been changed, is that true?
A. A recent ruling from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims granted service connection for an Agent Orange presumptive condition for a veteran who served on a Navy vessel stationed off the coast of Vietnam. The finding of court was that the regulation was too restrictive. For those who would like to read the case, it was Haas v. Nicholson No. 04-0491, decided Aug. 16.
Based on this ruling, I recommend that those veterans who have a presumptive disability (the list includes certain cancers, including lung and prostate cancer, as well as type II diabetes) and served aboard a ship stationed within the waters of Vietnam contact this office to file a claim. Compensation from VA is paid from the date of the claim, and it might take a while for a change in the regulation.
Those veterans who had claims denied because they did not serve on land should request a reconsideration of their claims because it may be possible to get compensation from the original claims submission date.
Surviving spouses of veterans who died from one of the presumptive conditions or the condition was a contributing factor in the veteran's death, should also contact this office. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation may be possible.
By expanding the regulation, those who served in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia also may become eligible.
I am sure I will be getting more information over the next few months, and as I do I will keep all informed.
— George Compton, a retired Army colonel, is the veterans service officer for the County of Ventura, Human Services Agency. Send your questions to Veterans Service Office, 1701 Pacific Ave., Suite 110, Oxnard, CA 93033; phone number 385-6366; fax 385-6371; or e-mail George.Compton@ventura.org.
Copyright 2006, Ventura County Star. All Rights Reserved.
September 2, 2006
pictureOn behalf of Rabbi Dov Muchnik and the Chabad of Oxnard, I would like to invite veterans and their families to the dedication of a Torah (the whole body of Jewish religious literature, including the Scripture and Talmud), to honor and memorialize members of the U.S. military.
The ceremony will be Sept. 10 at Fisherman's Wharf, Channel Islands Harbor (Victoria Avenue and Channel Islands Boulevard), beginning at 1 p.m.
The first letters of the Liberty Torah, as it will be known, will be inscribed by a Jewish scribe at the ceremony to coincide with the eve of the fifth anniversary of 9/11. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Liberty Torah will be sent to Israel, where it will be completed and returned to the Chabad of Oxnard.
For additional information, visit http://www.LibertyTorah.com, or contact Rabbi Muchnik at 382-4770.
Q. I served in the Navy during Vietnam and applied for compensation for diabetes. My claim was denied because I did not serve on land. There is a rumor that the requirement to serve on land has been changed, is that true?
A. A recent ruling from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims granted service connection for an Agent Orange presumptive condition for a veteran who served on a Navy vessel stationed off the coast of Vietnam. The finding of court was that the regulation was too restrictive. For those who would like to read the case, it was Haas v. Nicholson No. 04-0491, decided Aug. 16.
Based on this ruling, I recommend that those veterans who have a presumptive disability (the list includes certain cancers, including lung and prostate cancer, as well as type II diabetes) and served aboard a ship stationed within the waters of Vietnam contact this office to file a claim. Compensation from VA is paid from the date of the claim, and it might take a while for a change in the regulation.
Those veterans who had claims denied because they did not serve on land should request a reconsideration of their claims because it may be possible to get compensation from the original claims submission date.
Surviving spouses of veterans who died from one of the presumptive conditions or the condition was a contributing factor in the veteran's death, should also contact this office. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation may be possible.
By expanding the regulation, those who served in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia also may become eligible.
I am sure I will be getting more information over the next few months, and as I do I will keep all informed.
— George Compton, a retired Army colonel, is the veterans service officer for the County of Ventura, Human Services Agency. Send your questions to Veterans Service Office, 1701 Pacific Ave., Suite 110, Oxnard, CA 93033; phone number 385-6366; fax 385-6371; or e-mail George.Compton@ventura.org.
Copyright 2006, Ventura County Star. All Rights Reserved.
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