Kidney Cancer

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Comments

  • MBraden66_Kidney
    MBraden66_Kidney Member Posts: 11 Member

    Thank you for yours as well Paul, it was an honor and a privilege to have served.

    Check out the link below. I hope it helps you. Kidney cancer is on there, so you have a presumptive which means, you should automatically get it if you were there from any period of time between 1953 and December 31st, 1987. A presumptive means you do not have to go through an exam. You should be able to call up the VA and tell them you were at Camp LeJeune.

    The two places I was at, the one in Korea and the one in KY I know had bad drinking water. The Korean one had non-potable water labeled all over the place and the one in KY was required to do a clean up after an EPA inspection prior to their giving the land to the city/town located near by.

    https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/hazardous-materials-exposure/camp-lejeune-water-contamination/

  • MBraden66_Kidney
    MBraden66_Kidney Member Posts: 11 Member

    Paul, I think I sent you another DM after your message above, but I hadn't heard anything back so sending another one here.

    I completely understand your mind isn't in the right place. But, since the PACT Act was signed in Aug of 2022, all you need to do is prove you were at Camp Lejeune. Kidney cancer is a presumptive, meaning you don't need to go to a C&P (compensation and pension) exam. Since you have an open appeal, at least I hope you do, you would get a rating and it would be backdated.

    The rating for kidney cancer is 100% service connected. If you have a spouse and 1 child with you, your monthly benefit amount would be, $4,098.87/month. You would also get 100% medical for yourself. You could also apply for other benefits for your family.

    Now, if your claim in 2016 is in appeal and they back date it to that date, you would receive back pay. A conservative estimate is $252,000.

    I am not sure what you are making at both your jobs, but the VA benefit is tax free so if your take home from one of them is less than the $4k, you can quite that job. Spend more time with your family and focus more on you.

    I have a lot harder time proving mine is service connected as I wasn't at a place of exposure already defined by the VA. So I have to prove I was exposed, something I am working on.

    I am more than willing to help you get this going. We can do a phone conference and call the VA together, or whatever you want. Just let me know and I'm there. My home email and my cell number are below. Any time night or day.

    Mike

    mbraden66@gmail.com

    832-349-6203

  • Papa57
    Papa57 Member Posts: 8 Member

    Hi Mike,

    Thank you again for reaching out.

    Since our last messages, I've been busy with the doctors and appointments - as you know. I start treatment this Thursday, Keytruda and another drug to hard to pronounce let alone spell. I currently have 4 nodules, so time is short. I need to get started on therapy so as to hopefully prevent any more.

    From your suggestion, we've reached out to the VA. I do have coverage now. And we were waiting for the biopsy result to come in. its confirmed as of last week that it is kidney cancer, the 100% . We are working with the local VA rep on a new disability claim. We mentioned what you said about presumptive and he agrees. But it sounds like it has to go through all the red tape before we'll know anything. Could take 3 to 5 months to get approved.

    The first claim was denied for the cancer being Hodgkin's - the VA would only except it if it was Non-Hodgkin's.

    I'm also in the process of closing the business. I'll know by tomorrow if its going to go through the bankruptcy route.

    I also work a 2nd shift job to help the family. perhaps next weekend we could talk.

    It sounds like you have an up battle with the VA. keep me posted on how that goes. Not sure what I could do to help. But I here if there is a need.

    Thank you,

    Paul

  • MBraden66_Kidney
    MBraden66_Kidney Member Posts: 11 Member

    Glad to hear you are on the way to getting what you need from the VA. I've been worrying as you've been working a lot and I know how lower your energy can get after surgery and treatments.

    I would contact you Rep and/or Senator and let them know the below. It just says kidney cancer, it doesn't specify non-hodgkin's, it only does that for lymphoma. When I contacted mine, it lit a fire and things started moving really fast.

    What cancers qualify for Camp Lejeune water contamination?

    And you must have a diagnosis of 1 or more of these presumptive conditions:

    • Adult leukemia.
    • Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes.
    • Bladder cancer.
    • Kidney cancer.
    • Liver cancer.
    • Multiple myeloma.
    • Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
    • Parkinson's disease.

    Mike