Question:
Hello Jim, I'm trying to assist my father with his VA Claim for Prostate Cancer. He was a radar operator in the Air Force with the 687th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron in 1955, and 1958-1959 and with the 607th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron from 1956. The claim has been done, however he is now scheduled for a C&P Exam. I would like to know if there's any information that he can get to assist him with his claim? My father also stated that he wore Radar detector badges all the time and they were monitored during his time in the service. If there's any resources that you may provide to assist him, I would greatly appreciate it.
Jim's Reply:
Well, I'm sorry to say that this doesn't appear to be a well grounded claim. To establish service connection we need to present evidence that our claimed condition (prostate cancer) was caused, contributed to or aggravated by our active military service. The most common service connected cause of prostate cancer is exposure to agent orange during service in the country of The Republic of Vietnam. Exposure to agent orange mandates that the disease is presumptive to that exposure and the veteran doesn't have to prove cause and effect.
In the case of your dad, you must provide proof that the cancer was caused by exposure to...something? Your first task is to name what you think he was exposed to? Ionizing radiation? X radiation? Microwave radiation? "Radar detector badges" aren't in the lexicon that I'm aware of. Then once you determine what he was exposed to that you believe caused cancer, you have to prove the dosage and whether or not he exceeded dose limits. I was in health care and worked around high doses of x-radiation and wore 3 badges each day on the job. X-radiation (like most) is cumulative and doses have to be measured over time. Often enough, military radiation record archive may be accessed via this site . If he goes to a C & P unprepared, it's very likely he'll be denied. Keep in mind that the majority of men his age will have prostate cancer in their senior years and most of them didn't serve. Our service isn't always the reason we get sick.