AGENT ORANGE REGISTRY
What is it?
In mid-1978, the Veterans Administration, now known as the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA), set up a register of Vietnam veterans who
were worried that they may have been exposed to chemical herbicides
which might be causing a variety of ill effects and who took an extensive
medical examination offered at all VA health care facilities. The Agent
Orange Registry is a computerized index of those examinations.
What should a participating veteran expect?
Each veteran participating in this voluntary program, offered at all
VA medical centers, is given the following baseline laboratory studies:
chest x-ray (if one has not been done within the past 6 months); complete
blood count; blood chemistries and enzyme studies; and urinalysis. Particular
attention is paid to the detection of chloracne, porphyria cutanea tarda,
soft tissue sarcoma, non- Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, respiratory
cancers, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, and peripheral neuropathy.
Evidence is also sought concerning the following potentially
relevant symptoms or conditions: altered sex drive; congenital deformities
(birth defects, including spina bifida) among children; repeated infections;
nervous system disorders; sterility; and difficulties in carrying pregnancies
to term.
How does a veteran benefit from taking the Agent Orange Registry
examination?
The examination provides the participating veteran with an opportunity
to receive a complete health evaluation and answers to questions concerning
the current state of knowledge regarding the possible relationship between
herbicide exposure and subsequent health problems. Following completion
of the examination, the veteran is given results of the physical exam
and laboratory studies. This information is provided to the veteran
by both a face-to-face discussion with a physician familiar with the
health aspects of the Agent Orange issue and a follow-up letter summarizing
results of the examination. Occasionally, previously undetected medical
problems are found. With prompt attention, many times these illnesses
can be successfully treated. Registry participants are automatically
added to the mailing list for the "Agent Orange Review," a
newsletter that provides valuable information about Agent Orange developments.
The Registry permits VA to contact veterans for further testing if continuing
research efforts should make this action advisable. Following decisions
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the past several years to
recognize additional illnesses as service-connected, VA contacted Registry
participants with these diagnoses to urge them to file claims for disability
compensation.
Does the Agent Orange Registry have an impact on research efforts?
VA scientists carefully review Registry data. The Registry provides
a means of detecting clues or suggestions of specific health problems
in the event that unexpected or unusual health trends show up in this
group of veterans. Such clues could then form the basis for the design
and conduct of specific scientific studies.
Who is eligible?
Any veteran, male or female, who had active military service in the
Republic of Vietnam between 1962 to 1975, and expresses a concern relating
to exposure to herbicides may participate in the Registry. Eligible
veterans who want to participate in this program should contact the
nearest VA medical facility for an appointment. A veteran who did not
serve in Vietnam is not eligible for the Agent Orange Registry examination.
Similarly, the spouses and children of veterans are not eligible for
this examination.
What are the limitations and uses of the Registry?
No special Agent Orange tests are offered since there is no test to
show if a veteran's medical problem was caused by Agent Orange or other
herbicides used in Vietnam. There are tests that show the level of dioxin
in human fat and blood, but such tests are used for research and are
not done by VA because there is serious question about their value to
veterans.
It is important to understand that the Agent Orange Registry is not
a scientific study. Because of the self-selected nature of the Registry
participants (that is, the individuals decide themselves to be part
of the Registry rather than being "chosen" in a scientific
manner), this group of veterans cannot, with any scientific validity,
be viewed as being representative of Vietnam veterans as a whole. Therefore,
the health-related information collected cannot be used for scientific
research. The information can, however, be used to detect possible health
trends, as noted above, and can provide some useful facts about the
group itself. For example, it is possible to show the numbers
in each branch of military service, the period(s) of service
in Vietnam, kinds of symptoms veterans are experiencing, and some of
the results of the physical examinations. From this type of information,
it is possible to develop the relative frequency or internal proportional
distribution of certain health problems. That is, we could find that
health condition "A" is appearing in five times as many Registry
participants as problem "B." However, since participation
in the Registry program is entirely voluntary, one cannot make statistically
valid comparisons directly between this group of veterans and other
groups of veterans or non-veterans.
Who has participated in the Registry?
More than 250,000 Vietnam veterans have already participated in this
program. Although the program is approximately 18 years old, many veterans
are still contacting the VA each week for their initial Registry examination.
Many of these veterans have no medical problems; others present a wide
range of ailments. Veterans interested in receiving the Agent Orange
Registry examination should contact the nearest VA medical center.
If a veteran who has participated in the Agent Orange Registry examination
program changes residence who should he or she contact?
A veteran who moves after receiving the Agent Orange examination should
contact the Agent Orange Coordinator at the nearest VA medical center
and the Agent Orange Clerk (200/397B), VA Automation Center, 1615 Woodward
Street, Austin, Texas 78772-0001. Both the old and new addresses should
be indicated.
If a Vietnam veteran receives an Agent Orange Registry examination,
does that automatically make him or her eligible for disability compensation?
No. Veterans who wish to be considered for disability compensation must
file a claim for that benefit. Many Agent Orange Registry participants
have no medical problems. For more information regarding disability
compensation, see Agent Orange Brief, B3.
When will the Agent Orange Registry examination
program be ended?
There are no plans to stop the Registry. The examinations will continue
for the foreseeable future.
Who should be contacted for additional information regarding the
Agent Orange Registry?
At each VA medical center there is a "Registry Physician"
responsible for the conduct of Agent Orange Registry examinations. These
individuals participate in regularly scheduled nationwide conference
calls and receive mailouts from VA headquarters updating them on the
latest developments on Agent Orange. Each medical center also has
an Agent Orange Coordinator who has a great deal of information about
the Agent Orange Registry and related matters. VA medical center libraries
also have considerable information, including books and videotapes,
regarding Agent Orange. The Environmental Agents Service (131), Department
of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20420,
is another good source of information on this subject.
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DioxinKills!
Agent
Orange Brief
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