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August 17, 2001
VA Proposes Aid for Radiation-Exposed Veterans
Under regulatory changes proposed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans exposed to radiation and
diagnosed with cancer of the bone, brain, colon, lung,
or ovary, and their survivors, would be eligible for compensation. Veterans are currently presumed to be
eligible if they participated in a radiation-risk activity and later developed one of the following
diseases: leukemia (other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia); cancer of the thyroid, breast, pharynx,
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, gall bladder, bile ducts, salivary gland, or urinary tract;
multiple myeloma, lymphomas (except Hodgkin's disease), primary cancer of the liver (except if cirrhosis or
hepatitis B is indicated), or bronchiolo-aveolar
carcinoma. "Radiation-risk activities" include occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, internment as a POW in Japan,
or involvement in atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. The changes would add exposure related to underground
nuclear tests at Amchitka Island, Alaska, before January 1, 1974, and service at gaseous diffusion plants
in Paducah, Ky.; Portsmouth, Ohio; and Oak Ridge, Tenn.
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