FYI: You can now to apply online for disability benefits for eight conditions if you served in the Republic of Vietnam or in-land waterways between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 (The other AO exposure locations aren’t mentioned but there is a number to call: 1-800-827-1000 for more information.)
10/15 Update: This option may have been discontinued.
www.fasttrack.va.gov/AOFastTrack/
The eight presumptive conditions for which you can submit a claim through the Fast Track Claims Processing System are Ischemic Heart Disease, Hairy Cell and other B-Cell Leukemias, Parkinson’s Disease, Prostate Cancer, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Hodgkin’s Disease, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, or Multiple Myeloma. This is not meant for complex claims. A veteran’s medical provider can use the online application as well.
More from the VA:
Ischemic heart disease (also known as coronary artery disease or “hardening of the arteries.”)
Parkinson’s Disease VA Centers: http://www.parkinsons.va.gov/Care.asp
VA slides on PD. AO slides 34-39
Parkinson’s Disease is a big 55.000 + veterans for the VA. Those tremors may not be “old age” related.
As the largest healthcare system in the nation, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has as many as fifty-thousand PD patients under its care. In response to this overwhelming demand, the VA launched a campaign to revolutionize available services for veterans with PD and related movement disorders.
Map of PADRECC and Consortium centers.