Is the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) defrauding atomic veterans and their families of medical care and compensation for the veteran’s service-connected (SC) injuries?
Over one hundred thousand military personnel and veterans were exposed to highly classified radioactive material from the Department of Defense’s (DoD) nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons or subjected to DoD or VA’s radiation research. See: military personnel and veterans exposed to radioactive material (RAM)
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) recognizes only an external exposure to ionizing radiation and will acknowledge only a handful of cancers as qualifying as a service-connected injury. Because the VBA refuses to recognize the full scope of radiation-induced injuries caused by exposure to radioactive material (RAM), the veterans and their families are denied medical care and compensation for the veteran’s service-connected (SC) injuries.
External Ionizing Radiation
- Very few military personnel and veterans were exposed to external ionizing radiation levels high enough or long enough to cause long-term health problems, except those who maintained the early-generation Navy reactors with inadequate shielding.
- A film badge is used to measure an estimated dose of external ionizing radiation for purposes of personnel monitoring. The film badge may contain two or three films of differing sensitivities, and it may also have a filter that shields part of the film from certain types of radiation.
Contamination with RAM
- Contamination with RAM can result in external (dermal contact) AND internal (inhalation, ingestion, or dermal absorption) exposure.
- Internal doses have commonly been considered “worse” than external doses. This results from the emission of energetic radiation by internally deposited RAM. This problem is compounded by the length of time that the radionuclides stay in the body.
- A whole-body counter is a device used to accurately identify and measure the radioactive material in the human body. The counter uses ultrasensitive radiation detectors, electronic counting equipment, and heavy shielding to keep out naturally existing background radiation.
There have been hundreds of well-documented deaths that were the result of an individual’s exposure to RAM. Eben McBurney Byers, Marie Curie, the Radium Girls, and Alexander Litvinenko are just a few examples of those who died due to external and internal exposure to RAM. Yet, the VA ignores the science and refuses to acknowledge the harmful and often fatal results of this environmental exposure.
Feres Doctrine
Because of this ongoing fraud, did the U.S. government lay the foundation for overturning the Feres Doctrine, since Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135 (1950), requires that the VA provide compensation and medical care for injuries incurred during military service?
International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-10)
The International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-10) for radiation-exposure-related illnesses are recognized by the National Library of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute of Health (NIH), World Health Organization (WHO), and Veterans Health Administration (VHA), but not by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).
The following illnesses can be caused by exposure to ionizing radiation (external) or exposure to radioactive material (RAM) through inhalation, ingestion, or dermal absorption/contact (external AND internal).
Radiation-induced disorder – CD10 Codes vs. Veterans Administration (VA)
ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- +Acute radiation disease
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- +Adverse effects of radiation therapy
- ICD-10 Codes: W888 W880 W887 W902 W908 Y632 W886 W884 W909 W906 W900 W903 W889 W907 W882 Y842 W905 W901 W881 W883 W885 W904
- Aplastic anemia due to radiation
- ICD-10 Codes: D612
- Azoospermia caused by radiation
- ICD-10 Codes: N46X
- Chondroradionecrosis of larynx
- ICD-10 Codes: J387
- Chronic radiation otitis externa (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: H608
- Dementia following injury caused by exposure to ionizing radiation
- ICD-10 Codes: F03X T941
- Duodenal ulcer caused by ionizing radiation
- ICD-10 Codes: Y842 K269
- Encephalopathy caused by radiation damage (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: G938
- +Enteritis due to radiation
- ICD-10 Codes: K520
- +Fetus with radiation damage (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: O356
- Fibrosis of the lung following radiation (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: J701
- Gastric ulcer caused by ionizing radiation (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: K253 K252 K255 K257 K256 K250 K259 K251 K254
- +Heart disease caused by ionizing radiation (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: W888 W881 W883 W884 W885 W887 W886 W882 W889 I519 W880
- +Irradiation cystitis
- ICD-10 Codes: N304
- +Irradiation hypothyroidism (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: E890
- +Late effect of radiation (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: T981
- +Lymphoedema due to radiation
- ICD-10 Codes: I890
- +Mediastinal radiation fibrosis
- ICD-10 Codes: J701
- +Neuropathy due to ionizing radiation
- ICD-10 Codes: G628 T981
- Neutropenia caused by irradiation (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: D70X
- Oral ulceration due to radiation burn
- ICD-10 Codes: K121
- Osteonecrosis caused by ionizing radiation (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: M878
- Post-irradiation osteoporosis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: M808 M818
- Post-irradiation vaginal ulcer (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- Post-radiation adhesions of vagina
- ICD-10 Codes: N992
- Post-radiation menopause
- ICD-10 Codes: N953
- Post-radiation stenosis of the external auditory canal (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: H613 T981
- +Post-radiation stricture of the intestine (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: K918
- +Radiation alopecia
- ICD-10 Codes: L581
- Radiation burn (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: T268 T244 T266 T319 T294 T297 T288 T246 T272 T217 T212 T203 T270 T293 T233 T205 T250 T275 T221 T300 T252 T317 T237 T265 T264 T261 T225 T315 T202 T314 T290 T284 T224 T257 T285 T247 T242 T311 T235 T281 T241 T269 T206 T251 T207 T226 T302 T312 T316 T273 T227 T318 T283 T232 T295 T296 T220 T306 T254 T204 T292 T201 T255 T262 T214 T313 T223 T271 T280 T277 T253 T310 T236 T243 T307 T287 T274 T200 T289 T301 T276 T256 T210 T304 T240 T260 T245 T216 T211 T282 T286 T263 T303 T213 T291 T305 T267 T230 T231 T215 T234 T222
- Radiation damage to artery
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- Radiation damage to brachial plexus
- ICD-10 Codes: G578
- Radiation damage to optic nerve
- ICD-10 Codes: S040
- +Radiation dermatitis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: L580 L589 L581
- Radiation esophagitis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: K20X
- +Radiation gastritis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: K296
- Radiation hepatitis
- ICD-10 Codes: K759
- Radiation-induced taste impairment (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: W885 W884 W880 W883 W886 W889 W887 W881 R438 W882 W888
- +Radiation injury
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- Radiation injury of eyelid
- ICD-10 Codes: S002 S099
- +Radiation injury of nervous system following radiotherapy procedure
- ICD-10 Codes: T144
- Radiation kyphosis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: M962
- Radiation middle ear effusion
- ICD-10 Codes: H922
- +Radiation nephritis
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- +Radiation pneumonitis
- ICD-10 Codes: J700
- +Radiation recall syndrome (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- +Radiation respiratory disease (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: J700 J701
- +Radiation retinopathy (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: H350 H598 H310
- +Radiation sickness
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- +Radiation stomatitis
- ICD-10 Codes: K121
- Radiation stricture of vein (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- Radiation thrombocytopenia
- ICD-10 Codes: D695
- Radiation thrombophlebitis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
- Radiation ulcer of the esophagus (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: K221
- Radiational injury of sclera (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: K221
- Radiational injury to conjunctiva
- ICD-10 Codes: S050
- +Radiation-induced dermatosis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: L989 L599 L988 L598
- Radiation-induced keratosis (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: L570
- Radiation-induced myelopathy (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: G958
- +Radiation-induced skin malignancy (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: C449 Y842
- Radiation-induced stricture of the esophagus
- ICD-10 Codes: K222
- Radiation-induced xerostomia
- ICD-10 Codes: K117
- +Radionecrosis of skin
- ICD-10 Codes: L589
- Scoliosis caused by radiation (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: M965
- Subacute radiation sickness (disorder)
- ICD-10 Codes: T66X
What the VA recognizes
For purposes of this section, the term “radiogenic disease” means a disease that may be induced by ionizing radiation and shall include the following:
- All forms of leukemia except chronic lymphatic (lymphocytic) leukemia;
- Thyroid cancer;
- Breast cancer;
- Lung cancer;
- Bone cancer;
- Liver cancer;
- Skin cancer;
- Esophageal cancer;
- Stomach cancer;
- Colon cancer;
- Pancreatic cancer;
- Kidney cancer;
- Urinary bladder cancer;
- Salivary gland cancer;
- Multiple myeloma;
- Posterior subcapsular cataracts;
- Non-malignant thyroid nodular disease;
- Ovarian cancer;
- Parathyroid adenoma;
- Tumors of the brain and central nervous system;
- Cancer of the rectum;
- Lymphomas other than Hodgkin’s disease;
- Prostate cancer; and
- Any other cancer.
A partial list of military personnel and veterans exposed to radioactive material (RAM).
- DoD Radiation research veterans
- Atomic test veterans
- Aircraft radiation decontamination veterans
- Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll, atomic cleanup veterans
- Broken Arrow cleanup veterans (Palomares, Spain)
- GW I veterans (from the release of RAM when Saddam Hussein’s nuclear weapons enrichment facilities (calutrons) were blown up)
- DU veterans
- International Classification of Diseases – Read Codes (ICD-10 codes)
- Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms (CNOMED-CT)
- External exposure to ionizing radiation
Exposure occurs when all or part of the body is exposed to a penetrating radiation field from an external source. Like a chest X-ray, the body can absorb this radiation during exposure or pass it completely through. Note that exposure to a radiation field does not cause an individual to become radioactive; the radiation exposure ceases as soon as the individual leaves the field. - External/Internal contamination with radioactive material (RAM)
The other type of radiation injury involves being contaminated with radioactive material (RAM). Contamination means that radioactive material in gases, liquids, or solids is released into the environment and contaminates people externally (such as on the skin) and internally (by absorption, inhalation, and/or ingestion). Contamination by radioactive material can lead to the incorporation of radioactive material into the body. This can result from the uptake of radioactive material by body cells, tissues, and target organs such as bone, liver, thyroid, or kidney. Radioactive materials are distributed throughout the body based on their chemical properties. For example, Iodine-125 is concentrated in the body’s thyroid gland, like non-radioactive iodine. - Department of Energy (DOE) classified radioactive material (RAM)
Restricted Data (RD), Formerly Restricted Data (RD), and Transclassified Foreign Nuclear Information (TFNI) - Department of the Air Force classified radioactive material (RAM)
The term “91(b”” ref” rs to RAM covered under Section 91(b) of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954.
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