ST. LOUIS — A local veteran said the Department of Veterans Affairs isn't providing the necessary care to his family despite his exposure to toxic chemicals while he was in the Army.
“I was in the Army for 3 years, 9 months, 27 days, 12 hours, 45 minutes and 15 seconds more or less,” said veteran Jack Davis.
While in the service, Davis was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
“I was a surveyor, so we built a special forces camp up in the mountains,” he recalled. “One day there was jungle and the next day there wasn’t. One day there wasn’t a fence and the next day there was a fence.”
Davis said during his deployment he came into contact with a hazardous herbicide known as Agent Orange, and he believes it caused his son to have severe Spina Bifida.
“On April 2, 1973 when he was born, the United States of America knew that I was exposed to toxic herbicides,” said Davis. "They knew that the potential for him having a birth defect was there.”
Davis has spent years fighting so his son could receive treatment.
“The 1996 law says he’s entitled to medical care, proactive medical care,” said Davis. “He’s entitled to case management. He’s entitled to almost anything he needs medical-wise, but he wasn’t getting it.”
However, Davis has been in an uphill battle against the VA to access his benefits.
“The VA is structured in such a manner that there’s nothing to do to make them respond if they don’t choose,” said Davis. “This is real people's lives. It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no white hat in this story.”
Though the VA website shows that Agent Orange was used in Thailand, attorney Christine Clemens of Chisholm Chisholm & Kirkpatrick said it’s still a long process to prove exposure.
“You’re typically talking about years before these cases get granted on average,” said attorney Christine Clemens.
We asked if there is a large number of veterans left trying to prove to the VA that they were exposed.
“Yes, there are at least tens of thousands who are trying to show their exposure for something that they did every day,” said Clemens.
Clemens said Davis’ son's Spina Bifida further complicates the claim, since it’s so rare.
“It’s devastating because it’s often been compounded,” said Clemens. “Those disabilities, and the difficulty that they have had, are often compounded by the struggle of a parent to establish the exposure themselves.”
VA representatives have yet to respond to requests for comment on this story, but Clemens said there’s still hope.
“If Congress were to enact legislation for Thailand veterans that would make it easier for them to get these benefits that would help,” said Clemens.
“They think that we the veterans are being taken care of, and in a lot of cases we are, but I know for a fact that with the Spina Bifida program we’re not,” said Davis.
"Within the VA system you can keep trying,” said Clemens. “There isn't necessarily an endpoint."
For more information on the VA Agent Orange exposure and disability requirements click here.
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