Should disqualification from donating blood, due to service-related reasons, count for VA disability?

SSG, this is right off of the American Red Cross Blood Donation site. As someone who served on my regional blood board, has given over 150 times and was in the military, I am familiar with this issue.

vCJD or Variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease related to the Mad Cow Desease is found in the countries listed below. The deferral does not mean that there is a likelihood that you have it or have been exposed to it, just that currently there is no way to screen for it. The Red Cross screens every blood donation to the highest standards of the blood industry. A lot of community blood banks can charge less for blood because they don't do all the tests the the Red Cross Performs. That does't make their blood less safer, but because it is gathered and used locally, they can determine what risks they might not have to screen for. Red Cross Blood gets shipped nationally and internationally as needed. Long answer but I hope this helps. Thank you for your service.

In-Depth Discussion of Variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease and Blood Donation

In some parts of the world, cattle can get an infectious, fatal brain disease called Mad Cow Disease. In these same locations, humans have started to get a new disease called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.

There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion.

There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found.

At this time, the American Red Cross donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows:

You are not eligible to donate if:

From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK), or
From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any country(ies) in the (UK) or France. The UK includes any of the countries listed below.

Channel Islands
England
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Isle of Man
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
You were a member of the of the U.S. military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a member of the U.S. military who spent a total time of 6 months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas during the specified time frames

From 1980 through 1990 - Belgium, the Netherlands (Holland), or Germany
From 1980 through 1996 - Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or Greece.
You spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 5 years or more from January 1, 1980, to present, in any combination of country(ies) in Europe, including

in the UK from 1980 through 1996 as listed above
on or associated with military bases as described above, and
in other countries in Europe as listed below:
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland (Republic of)
Italy
Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Montenegro (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Netherlands (Holland)
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Yugoslavia (Federal Republic includes Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia)

I know that it used to be a disqualifier for donating blood to simply be outside the US in the past 2 years. I think its not a disability, its just a cost saving measure by the ARC so they dont have to pay to screen samples.

I have been unable to donate blood for many years. I was a regular donor.

I can not see how that is a disability.

Does it adversely affect your day-to-day life? That's the real question. Not being able to give blood doesn't. You can live normally. It's not a "Disability" (Lack of ability) that could be qualified with a monetary figure or percentage (at 10% or greater).

Not all "conditions" are going to trigger the "disability" status.

How is that possibly a disability?

Absolutely not.

I agree. I can't give because mad cow came out while I was in Germany.
My thyroid is screwed too because chernobyle went up while I was there too.
But VA says it has nothing to do with me.

NO

Because you're not poisoned. Look I was over in Germany during the timeframe of mad cow disease first got started. Now am I sick because of mad cow....heck no! Do I have some latent gene that is pre mad cow? Heck no! And I'm still serving no issues. I even went to a Red Cross van last year just to inquire and they had a big book and guess what? It's still there. So unless you can prove that you gotten sick over there because of contaminated beef, then you would have to provide proof. I don't have proof because I'm not sick not we're any of my friends that were over there during that time

I didn't know that, but I never deployed outside CONUS during my terms of service. The closest I got was two ARNG annual trainings to the border between the Mexican State of Tijuana and San Diego County, CA. I was down there in 2000 and 2001. Before the May 2000 trip we had to have all the shots like one would get deploying to the tropics. Seems because the proximity to Mexico deployment to San Diego County means you get the full Tropical Battery of Shots. I was down there in support of the construction of the existing border fence with the 242nd Engineer Company back then out of Wichita, KS.