Question:

Hi...My husband has leiomyosarcoma from Agent Orange exposure. He has had several procedures to kill or remove tumors since 2014 and continues to have more. His doctor says this cancer doesn't respond well to traditional chemotherapy, so whenever tumors appear, various procedures are being used to eliminate them. He has had one on his foot, several in his liver and several in his lungs. His doctor also says this cancer is incurable and will not go into remission. My husband will be fighting this the rest of his life. We have discussed this with the representative he has been working with and asking how to have his 100% rating made permanent and total, but we haven't gotten a straight answer yet. What do we have to do to accomplish this? It's so annoying to have to be scheduled for these exams every time he has treatment for additional tumors.

Jim's Reply:

The transition from a temporary 100% rating to a permanent rating can be a challenge. During his next exam, make a point of telling the examiner that he'd like to see a notation in his file that the condition is permanent and not likely to improve. The examiner can make the appropriate notes that will be interpreted by the rater at the VARO.