Posted on Mar 13, 2016
Should disqualification from donating blood, due to service-related reasons, count for VA disability?
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How many of you know that because of your tour in many European locations such as Germany during certain time frames disqualifies you from donating blood?. So why doesn't VA rate us as being partially poisoned during our tour?.
Germany
Retired
Disability
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 24
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I did notice this trend after the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Meltdown in April 1986. I was stationed with 4th Ordinance Co. , Meisau, Germany at the time. The Radioactive Fallout covered most of Europe infecting Crops, Pasture land, Livestock and people. I served two tours in Germany and when filing for Disability I discovered that all of my medical records from Lanstuhl and Stutgart had been removed from my records as if I had never served over there. But after 1986 I have never been able to donate blood. I was also told by a Medic once while updating my shots before a PCS that the Anthrax shot and a few other required ones could cause problems in the future when the shots were combined.
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SPC Jimmy Bowling
During my time in service ('83 to '92) we were never given a choice as far as taking the Anthrax shot and many other shots that were required for you to have depending upon the area of the World that your unit may have been about to deploy to at the time. I remember my unit constantly having to get our Shots updated to the point it felt like my arm was going to fall off! They just said that we had two of them and would just have to learn to shoot better with the other one! Hateful butts! Earlier this year I've had to begin taking Blood Transfusions because my body had stopped making its on blood because of treatments that I was having to get because of Lung Cancer that had spread to my Bones, Brain and Throat. Brothers it has not been a good time at all going through this. Regardless it has been rather interesting at times going through the process of getting a good match to my blood. I'm O-pos so you would think it would be easy to get a good match for me but it is not at all. For all other blood types , they can use just about any blood type but for O-Pos types it has got to be an almost perfect match or it can cause serious harm.
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My argument is yesterday I went to donate plasma which would have paid me close to 400$ a month and I was denied because of my service in Germany. Is there no compensation for this ?
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I was told that I would be unable to donate blood for life when I was given an immunization for Japanese encephalitis while deployed to Japan. I was again told that I would be unable to donate for life when I received a battery of shots in preparation for deployment to Somalia. Both were before I would have been exposed to anything so I could not be a carrier, it was the injection that I was told made me unable to donate.
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I didn’t know that disqualified you. If so it certainly should add as service related
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Absolutely not! You are not using the V.A. benefits properly if this is even a serious question. Disability has nothing to do with you being able to donate blood.
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SSG Erick Diaz
Wrong. The VA promised to care for everything that happened to you while you were active. Did you have it? No, then they are responsible for it. It must be documented for the future in case it does become an issue. Think agent Orange and burn pits.
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SFC Matthew Mason
SSG Erick Diaz - Being documented and being a qualifying factor for disability is two entirely different things! Therefore you need to research the facts more.
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Sgt Stephen Murphy
Documentation of exposure to cadmium gave me a rating of 0% with no effects or symptoms. VA math 5 x 0% = 10%.
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what disability has it caused? The VA will only service connect and compensate diagnosis only.
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SSG Erick Diaz
Wrong, it's not about compensation. It's about documentation for the future if something happens. There is such thing as service connected zero compensation rating. Such as some scars.
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Sgt Stephen Murphy
Documentation of exposure to cadmium gave me a rating of 0% with no effects or symptoms. VA math 5 x 0% = 10%. Plus the documentation in your record covers you if you DO develop problems at a later date. The key is WHY you were told you couldn't donate. Were you exposed to something or was it a general precaution because of geographic location...
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Interesting question: I would say, yes. If you were a member of the Armed Forces, and were assigned to a area which causes you 'disabling' disease, yes, you should be considered disabled.
Now, how do 'we' know if we are disabled? Do you have this disease? Because 'we' were assisgned/served there, how do we know if we were infected? I do not think it's right to say or conclude, just because we served there causes us to be disabled. If we have active disease, then yes, we should be VA disabled.
So, determining wheter we were infected would be the first step. But, even if we are carriers of this disease, until we are disabled due to active disease, should the VA say we are disabled because we served in areas now known to have a disease which causes terminal illness?
Excellent question. I did not know about this. I too served in Germany and Greece during the time frame listed above (1980-83-West Germany-Fulda Gap and 1988-1990-Athens and other areas, Greece)
Now, how do 'we' know if we are disabled? Do you have this disease? Because 'we' were assisgned/served there, how do we know if we were infected? I do not think it's right to say or conclude, just because we served there causes us to be disabled. If we have active disease, then yes, we should be VA disabled.
So, determining wheter we were infected would be the first step. But, even if we are carriers of this disease, until we are disabled due to active disease, should the VA say we are disabled because we served in areas now known to have a disease which causes terminal illness?
Excellent question. I did not know about this. I too served in Germany and Greece during the time frame listed above (1980-83-West Germany-Fulda Gap and 1988-1990-Athens and other areas, Greece)
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SSG Darin McNeely
Because it does not hinder your health in any way. Now if you develop a medical condition linked to that,then it's different
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