Veterans who served at secret base say it made them sick, but they can't get aid because the government won't acknowledge they were there
Veterans who served at secret base say it made them sick, but they can't get aid because the government won't acknowledge they were there
For decades, the U.S. government conducted nuclear bomb tests near what is sometimes called Area 52.
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The mission was so under wraps that Ely said he had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
So that was probably just the SF 312. The NDA anyone who gets a US military clearance signs saying they won't reveal classified info. There are other NDAs US military sign sometimes but they usually have to deal with proprietary commercial info. This line seems weird because signing an NDA as a military member is pretty much required for most duties.
From the article is sounds like toxic chemicals and radiation. And since it was in the 80s the chemicals probably aren't still classified.
Other government employees who were stationed in the same area, mainly from the Department of Energy, have been aided by $25.7 billion in federal assistance, according to publicly available statistics from the Department of Labor. But those benefits don't apply to Air Force veterans like Ely and Crete.
Definitely if the DoE (responsible for the US's nuclear arsenal and power plants) is providing treatment. So this sounds like the VA is just not wanting to treat people which is fucking dumb. They don't need to acknowledge the location of the cause of the injury, just identify and treat the injuries and illnesses.
That's how it should be, yeah. But some people say "well you have to prove that it was service-connected!" and if the service is classified, you can't.
Really, we should just have universal healthcare so that this isn't even a question in the first place.
It’s tied to VA compensation, which is why it’s an issue. Otherwise they would agree it’s service connected and help you out.
When I was seeking help for my deployment related PTSD, they sent me a bill. “The fuck is this?” Well, you have to file a claim. I filed, three times. Every time they lost it, file again.
Eventually got it done a few years ago after the process changed, but it’s so stupid.
A pretty typical VA issue.
My dad was drafted, went to Vietnam, and many years later developed ALS - somewhat recently added to the "Always covered for vets" list, as being a veteran in any war doubles the risk of ALS.
The battle to prove it was ALS though was insane, had to be done outside of the VA with specialists (it is still rare, of course, so not many out there can actually give a diagnosis), and took about a year from blatant symptoms to diagnosis, and then another few months of VA paperwork to get coverage and other things he was owed.
Not a new problem unfortunately, and certainly not unique to this situation. Just another kind of symptom of another kind of problem.
Did you dad file under the PACT Act? I finally got my uncle to file after getting hosed by the VA back in the 80’s.
It made him feel so good to be partially acknowledged.
He died 4 years back, so no. ALS is usually about 2 years from diagnosis, and he made it a bit past that, but not much.
Once the ridiculous amounts of nonsense paperwork was run through (during which time my dad lost the use of his arm, speech was one of the first things to go), he got plenty of support. But getting there is the nightmare in my opinion. They started out trying to give him like 15% disability - which is insane, ALS is terminal and is always a 100%.
But thanks for the link! It looks like there's some stuff there that applies to my family in terms of benefits, so going to do some digging.
Have ever single one of them apply. DM me if you want my TLDR on filing. I am certainly no Jedi, but can help get the ball rolling.
Thankfully a retired LTC got involved (back when we were first going through all the fun) who did an amazing job helping us navigate the mess that is the VA. Still kept in touch too.
But will definitely message if I run into any roadblocks, appreciate it!