Are you a Veteran needing to file a claim with the Veterans Administration, but don't know where to start. The whole process can be overwhelming, one person says you need to do this and another says you should do something else. So where do you start?

First of all you are going to need a lot of patience because the V.A. is totally bogged down with claims and the overall process just takes time. Be patient but persistent, do not lose your temper with them, this will only hurt you and they are doing the best they can. Some claims are approved within months while others take years. If you are filing on several different things at once you can expect the wait to be longer.

You will need to get a representative to handle your claim, they are familiar with how the V.A. systems works and they know what documents you will need. The D.A.V. is one of the agencies that can represent you, it is so much easier than trying to do it yourself.

Make sure you document everything, appointments, phone conversations and request copies of all your test results. When you send anything to the D.A.V. or the V.A. be sure to send it certified mail, that way you will have proof they did in fact receive it.

If you are filing on Agent Orange, furnish spray maps of the areas where you served, you can look them up on line and print them out, they will even tell you how many gallons were sprayed and in what areas. With P.T.S.D. claims you are no longer required to furnish a stressor letter, however, if their is one or more incidents that is affecting you be sure to tell them

You can request a copy of your Service Record Book ( S.R.B.) from your branch of service and in it you will find a page listing your combat history. Make a copy of that page and attach it to your other documents that you send in for P.T.S.D. The more reliable documentation you can furnish the easier it will be for them to process your claim, they do not like to look things up so take the initiative. Send only the documents that will expedite your claim not a lot of unnecessary paper work.

Be sure they document all your ailments even though some may not be on their list yet doesn't mean they won't be eventually. When they do recognize them you will be paid retro-active back to the date it was originally filed.

Below is a list of diseases associated with Agent Orange, it is growing every year, we may never know the .extent of damage this has done to our Vietnam Vets.

• Acute and Subacute Peripheral Neuropathy

• Chronic B-cell Leukemia's

• Hodgkin’s Disease

• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

• AL Amyloidosis

• Chloracne (or Similar Acne-form Disease)

• Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)

• Ischemic Heart Disease

• Multiple Myeloma

• Prostate Cancer

• Parkinson’s Disease

• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

• Respiratory Cancers

• Soft Tissue Sarcoma