Question:

My husband has castration resistant stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. We are running out of time. He was in Vietnam in the Navy and exchanged fire with the Viet Cong in 66 and 67 while on the USS Benner. We submitted a claim in 2012 which was denied in 2013. We reapplied again in Dec. 2020 as he now falls under the Blue Water Bill.

The VA is now asking for more info pertaining to how he was exposed while in Vietnam. This was all sent in 2012, i.e., copies of pages in his USS Benner cruise ship describing the exchange of enemy fire and a picture showing him in the Dash Division on the ship. Someone in the VA told us the cruise book from the ship is not an accepted document of evidence. They have to have something from the Department of Defense. Is this correct? The cruise book I thought had to have Dept. of Navy or Defense approval before being published. Hubby is resistant to all the treatments they are throwing at him. Is there something we can do to speed up their decision? How do I get something from DOD if needed?

Jim's Reply:

You need to speak with a professional. An accredited veterans law attorney will be able to assess the history of the claim to look for any approach that may help move this along. Please click https://www.vawatchdog.org/how-to-hire-a-veterans-law-attorney.html, and ask all of the lawyers you'll meet there how they might help. The case assessment won't cost you anything when you call.  All the attorneys you'll see will offer a free case assessment. Good luck.