James Cripps: 0:03

It's time for the Exposed Vet Podcast. The Exposed Vet Podcast discusses issues related to today's veteran. To call into the show, dial 515-605-9764. Now here's your host, john and Gerald. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to another episode of the Exposed Vet Podcast. Today is the 13th day of July 2023. We've got our co-host today, mr Ray Cobb, out of the great state of Alabama. How are you doing, ray?

Ray Cobb: 0:38

I'm doing great. It's dry and hot down here.

James Cripps: 0:42

Yeah, it's fixing to cut loose here.

James Cripps: 0:43

Little bit rainy here in a little bit. Our guest speaker again today is Bethany Spangenberg. We're going to discuss packback exposure issues. Before we get started, though, I want to turn the audience over to Mr James Cripps. He's on here too. He's got a couple things he wants to talk to Bethany about. We'll get started, james. How you doing, buddy? I'm really good, john.

James Cripps: 1:09

For those that don't know, I'm James Cripps. I'm the national president, united States Veterans Alliance and Bethany, I think we have actually talked. I think you were working on something that involved a runner and you called me and we had a little discussion and I think since then I saw where his case was denied at the BVA. I really hated to see that, but I've kind of worked with veterans in the area and within our organization and gosh all over the United States, for that matter, all over the world, and you provide a service that I'm highly interested in and that would be signing a nexus letter. John Switzer's board should be lighting up with 931 and 615 area code. People that's listening in, that are also interested in this veterans not wanting really to be a middleman, other than out of necessity for those veterans that are not that computer literate and don't know how to represent or express themselves. How can I be of help and how can we use your services?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 2:44

Well, hello, let me start by saying that I also want to take a few steps back and say if your individual was denied with the nexus that we wrote and the denial is based on a medical reasoning and it's not like a legal reasoning, meaning like their time and service didn't match or something like that, you need to bring it back because we will follow that nexus letter through the life of the claim. So if that board, the board, was denied, the board judge denied that claim and they say, well, we have a VA opinion that is more persuasive than the one provided by Valor for Vet, then we want to take a look at it because we're going to try to throw that examiner under the bus and we want to see why, what their rationale is for denying that veteran. So I would love to see that case back that veteran.

James Cripps: 3:51

So I would love to see that case back. Yeah, so we don't really have that scenario. What I'm wanting to know is, let's say, a hypothetical case. I've got a veteran that comes to me he needs a nexus letter. He's been everywhere and he can't get a nexus letter. How can I connect him with you if he's not a computer literate person? How can I work between you two to get this veteran a nexus letter? How can I help.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 4:15

So there's a couple instances, there's a couple things that we can work with it.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 4:20

So, we actually have a whole county out of Cleveland Ohio. That entire county, every single VSO that runs through there is registered with our system and they do case management through our portal so they're able to register that veteran, provide the documents and do the order. Or if you want to be more hands-off, then we have a team that can work with the veteran directly. We have plenty of resources to kind of help them along the way. If they have troubles navigating or they have trouble scanning their documents, we have resources available to assist them with that. But it just depends on how proactive or how active you want to be with that veteran.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 5:04

If you're saying, like I know he needs a nexus letter for his right knee, his GERD and his sleep apnea, then you can actively manage his case through our portal.

James Cripps: 5:18

Okay, we actually have a local service officer that we work with, actually have a local service officer that we work with, but he doesn't have connections to get nexus letters. That's actually not his job. So in that case I would. If the veteran you know can't get a nexus letter, which that's a hard thing to do, then I would want to maybe give you a heads up. Have that veteran call you. He can come back to me, or you can come back to me. Tell me what that veteran needs. I can help him get it together and get it on the way to you, is that?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 5:56

workable. That's doable, in fact. I think we need to exchange contact information after the show, so then that way we can have more of a direct discussion for each case.

James Cripps: 6:08

Yeah, john, can give you my direct email address. You should have my phone number and you can contact me through my website. Va the Redneck Way. Just like it sounds, com.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 6:26

All right, I'm going to visit VA the redneck way.

James Cripps: 6:29

There's a right way, there's a wrong way. You can go with an attorney or we can do it VA the redneck way.

Ray Cobb: 6:36

That's my tried and true method, com, and it works, it works, I'm telling you, it works and it works, it works, I'm telling you it works.

James Cripps: 6:49

There are those who can attest. Yeah, in our chapter we have three R2s. We've got a fist two fists full of R1s. We've got 43 100%, and when we started this organization in 2010, we had no veterans other than maybe a 10 to 30 percent. So, yeah, the method works. We would really love to hook up with you and use your services.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 7:24

Yeah, definitely, and I'd be happy I know Ray's talked about maybe having me come down and do some education I'd be happy to do some education with some of your veterans or people that you work with and try to help out where I can.

James Cripps: 7:38

Yeah, it's a long way from Ohio to Winchester, tennessee. By the way, john, tennessee not Alabama, it's just.

Ray Cobb: 7:47

Alabama.

James Cripps: 7:47

I can't claim him, he's ours.

Ray Cobb: 7:51

Yeah, we don't claim that Clemson red down here, do we? It's that bright orange that's Auburn.

Ray Cobb: 8:00

Tennessee as a matter of fact, while I got you guys on the phone or on the show, let it be known. I think we've decided to have our conference this next year in March, and it's going to be a good one. I hope all three of you will be able to attend, and we're also going to have General Baker on, and I also plan on trying to connect up with a gentleman that specializes in automobile adaptive grants and what they will actually put on vehicles. So you know it's going to be a day long, full of information. So we'll have more on that as the time draws near, but we've kind of locked into March as of right now in order to get everybody in line and on board and get the facility lined up, and I think it's going to be a great conference. Our last one was in 2016, and James attended that one, and I think more of these should happen around the country really.

James Cripps: 9:08

Best I remember, I was a star of the show. With what?

Ray Cobb: 9:11

I said about.

James Cripps: 9:12

VA.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 9:14

But did Tommy Baker agree?

James Cripps: 9:17

to participate. Yeah, that the VA can't pick their nose. I shouldn't have repeated that but you know, crap happens Did.

Ray Cobb: 9:30

Tommy Baker agree to participate. I'm sorry.

James Cripps: 9:36

Did Tommy Baker agree to participate?

Ray Cobb: 9:39

I have not heard back his phone, but his first email back said when you lock in a date in time, let me know and if at all possible I will attend.

Ray Cobb: 9:52

Yeah, so he is on the governor's staff in charge of Veterans Affairs for the state of Tennessee of Tennessee. So he'll be there representing the governor and hopefully he'll go not only on what they offer the veterans today, but hopefully he'll come up with a couple of things that he can talk about that he'd like to see veterans receive from the state of Tennessee in the future.

James Cripps: 10:21

Yeah, well, he's actually the state commissioner. Correct, Bethany.

Ray Cobb: 10:25

I'm not the state commissioner.

James Cripps: 10:25

Correct. Bethany, I'm not going to steal your show. I know there's a lot of questions, a lot of answers. If you will, if you can, okay, john, I'll get your contact information, maybe an email address, from John. I tried to message you earlier, okay, okay, and you can call me John. I'll give you my email. Okay, and you can use that via therednagwaycom. You can email me there or I'll respond to any comments or questions you have.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 11:13

Respond to any comments or questions you have, and you can find the story of my life and my pursuit for benefits and my methods on that website. Well, I'm definitely going to take a look, the URL alone has me intrigued, so definitely going to visit that as soon as we get done.

James Cripps: 11:24

It has me intrigued too, yeah, it does. I know a vet down in Texas that was frustrated one day and he wrote a letter to him. He asked him. He said you must be the stupidest people in the world. How stupid are you?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 11:43

He says I will consider you to call you stupid until you prove me different.

James Cripps: 11:45

Well, you know, I told somebody yesterday a service officer in fact, the most frivolous claim that I have ever heard of was this game warden serving down at Fort Gordon, georgia, that said he got Agent Orange by eating fish. But you know what he won? That kind yeah. Wow All right, let's talk. Pack exposures.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 12:17

All right.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 12:19

Really quickly. To finish up what James was asking me about, when a veteran registers if they find this on their own and then later on in their claim they get an attorney or they get a representative there's actually a button for them to click to invite their representative to have access to their portal and their documents and what's happening within the work that we're doing with that veteran, or the other way around if a representative has a claim with us, then that representative can invite the veteran to join our portal and view the documents and view the work that is being done as well. So there's a flexibility there between the individual veteran and their representative and try to keep be transparent in the work that we're doing and the legal angle that we're working with. So that's kind of nice.

James Cripps: 13:10

Awesome. A straight-up yes or no answer. I had a veteran call you. I think he connected this afternoon and he's seeking a Nexus letter. Are you saying he can punch this button and his service officer can tune in to what's happening?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 13:34

Yes.

James Cripps: 13:37

Appreciate that. That's what I wanted to know.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 13:43

All right. So now let's talk. I'm done, John, All right.

James Cripps: 13:49

James. Thank you, James. One more thing Might.

Ray Cobb: 13:53

I meet you at Ray's conference.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 13:57

Are you planning?

James Cripps: 13:58

on coming down.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 13:59

I've got it.

James Cripps: 14:00

I'd love to see that 2024. I'm sure it'll be love at first sight.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 14:13

I would look forward to meeting you.

James Cripps: 14:19

Now I've got to get out of here. My wife's sitting here listening.

Ray Cobb: 14:24

Sandra will hit you over the head with her furnace there in a minute. My wife's sitting here listening. Hit you over the head with a furnace there in a minute.

James Cripps: 14:28

Big worse than that.

Ray Cobb: 14:30

James hey.

James Cripps: 14:31

James drive. If the weather's good, I want you to drive the 57. Yeah, I'd be glad to.

Ray Cobb: 14:39

Which 57?

James Cripps: 14:42

I'll bring it out. No no, no, no, bring the red and white ones. I don't have a red and white one. I got a candy apple red one and I got a solid blue that's red.

James Cripps: 14:58

Yeah, I knew that. Alright, that's always the lady's choice. Yes, nice ride, buddy. My wife always wins the money with the 55. If I were driving, if we swapped cars, the 55 wouldn't win, but I ain't swapping. Anyway, I'm taking enough of your time, bethany, and I certainly appreciate those answers and they're everything that I was hoping they would be. And, like I say, that switchboard should be hot with 931 and 615 numbers. John, it's got more 615 numbers and 931 numbers in my book. He's got bets right now. Doggo is a suburb of Nashville. Yep, all right, okay, let's get down to business, folks. We were going to discuss the exposure issues on the pack deck and, uh, of course, the pack deck's got a lot of little caveats in there. You know as far as uh, different locations and periods served and things like that. And, uh, what are some of the exposures you're seeing? Beth, are you seeing a lot of activity on the pack deck flames?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 16:22

we're seeing a little bit of activity and that's what made me want to talk about this topic is because I actually get to see what they're doing inside the VA as far as the toxic exposure screens and the VA our local VA has a list of 22,000 veterans in the territory that they're making phone calls to in order to complete these toxic exposure screens and with that, with all those phone calls going out, can you imagine all the phone calls that are going out across the country to these veterans? But that's creating a tsunami of claims. So with that, the regional offices and the BBA has hired a ton of people to process these claims and some of the denials that these claims processors are putting out don't make any sense. People are getting denied for presumptive conditions related to burn pit exposures and we're seeing more of those denials with, or people are seeking nexus letters for those presumptive conditions and we're actually turning them away.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 17:30

You don't need a nexus for a presumptive. That's a legal argument, and so we kind of have to guide them through that direction, but that's mainly the big ones that we're seeing as far as it relates to the toxic exposure screens, Right now it'll be getting full of them.

James Cripps: 17:48

Same thing. They're stacking up quicker than it's my second 50s in the parking lot. Of course, now you know which regional offices are doing those claims, don't you? I don't. The regional office is doing those claims, don't you? I don't?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 18:11

Right down the road from you right down the Ohio River, just right in New Kentucky, a place called Louisville. I didn't realize Louisville had them all. That's wild and I'm surprised that that is it just the claims, like the regional office that's doing them out of Louisville.

James Cripps: 18:33

Well, under this national work queue, you know, they set specific offices up to do certain things, like Agent Orange went to Muskogee, oklahoma, and then so I guess they just designated Louisville to be the primary source for impact act. So we'll see how it goes.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 18:52

I did not realize that. Yeah, it's true. So that's interesting because is that even like some of the Agent Orange ones that you know if a veteran's claiming Agent Orange because they received a phone call through this phone call?

James Cripps: 19:11

No, if it's got the word PACTEC, it's going to Louisville. Boy, got to be true. You heard it on the radio. It's got to be true.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 19:24

You heard?

James Cripps: 19:27

it on the radio. I see some challenges with that, but hey, yeah, I know, believe me, I know it's all up here both ways.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 19:43

So what I see is we have a team of LPNs at our local facility and they've got a list and of the 22,000 that they started with in November of 22, they've gotten just over 10,000 phone calls out since November of 22. November of 22. So the reason why I wanted to talk about it as well is because in August the date that they're taking these claims back to will expire. So I don't think they're going to get through all of these toxic exposure screen phone calls before August in order to get these veterans' claims to where they're within that window to be backdated.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 20:28

So if we can bring awareness about the toxic exposure screening, and you know what they should be applying for, then hopefully those veterans can get those claims in before that window closes.

James Cripps: 20:44

You know, to get an extension that would take a change in the law. And then they would take and not take an addendum. You can do an addendum to it. Congress can do that.

Ray Cobb: 20:57

I was at the regional office the day before yesterday and I was discussing this with the claims agent there. And I was discussing this with the claims agent there and, according to her, what could be done is that the veteran can do an intent to file and that will extend that period for one year, but they need to do it by the August deadline. And that was what she was instructing me and what they're instructing veterans that come in there. If they don't have their claim developed and ready to go, they need to do an intent to file.

James Cripps: 21:40

Well, see, that's a violation of the law, because the law states in no event will it pay back past the date the president signed it August 10, 2022.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 21:53

That's what I mean.

James Cripps: 21:54

That's why I'm saying it would take a law change.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 21:57

If this veteran applies, it's December 2023, and they apply for toxic exposure. Do they take it back to the date that they applied because they missed that window? Or are they going to take it back to August of 22?

James Cripps: 22:11

We then tend to call for 22.

Ray Cobb: 22:13

They take it back to the date that they apply. So if they apply December of 2023, that is their beginning date. That's the date that the piggy bank starts or, like James has said, that's the date that the clock starts ticking. So they lose out. If they don't apply by August, then they lose out that back pay that they would receive. Then they lose out that back pay that they would receive.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 22:47

So she's saying to go ahead and file. Yeah, August 9th actually is the deadline. Right. So she's saying to go ahead even though it's not ready to go out the door. She's saying to go ahead and file an intent to file, so that at least you're not missing.

Ray Cobb: 23:05

You know a few months of that window.

James Cripps: 23:07

Yeah, file a claim and then file and turn right around and do an intent and cover yourself. You're covered. Either way, go ahead and file the claim before August the 10th, wait a day or two and then file an intent. The intent may be consumed by that claim and it may not. That's yet to be seen. Yeah, but that's a different statute, covering intent to file, versus what the PACT Act is, though, exactly covering intent to file versus what the PACT Act is though. So they're going to have to do this.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 23:43

So the right thing would be is that if it's taken, you know, nine months to get 10,000 phone calls out, let's at least you know 90% of the phone calls are out, and then let's take it back to the August 2022 date. I just don't see how you can get all those phone calls in to let veterans in your territory know about the toxic exposures, and yet you're going to close the window. Oh well, we just missed you.

James Cripps: 24:15

Sorry, we didn't get to you in time so you missed out. If you just go ahead and file your claim and don't procrastinate and get it in not later than the evening of August 9th, I would think they would go by the date of that claim being turned in as meeting the definition of filing by August 10th.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 24:37

Yeah, I would. I don't know if there's veterans out there that the VA hasn't contacted on that phone log of their goal of those 22,000 veterans. If there's still 5,000 veterans to go and one of those 5,000 veterans decides or this is the first time they've heard about the toxic exposure or the PACT Act, then that individual veteran is missing out. So I think it's good that we're having this conversation so then that way we can really push the urgency of those veterans filing. And I want to talk about because the screening that's happening at the VA they're only covering the five main categories of exposures. They're calling these veterans and asking of these five, have you had any of these? And then all the other ones they're kind of leaving out. So I want to talk about, you know, the other exposures that veterans need to think about, because that would still qualify under the PACT Act.

James Cripps: 25:41

Is benzene included?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 25:46

I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.

James Cripps: 25:48

Is benzene included in that list?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 25:52

It should be, so that would fall underneath the other toxic exposure category. So when the nursing staff, or they call it the TES team, when they first call, they're asking the veteran have you been exposed to radiation, any Gulf War-related exposures, airborne hazards, burn pits, agent Orange or contaminated water? But the other category is the examples that they put on their slides. I have the slide printed out from the VA. They talk about animal bites, insect bites, any blood exposures. You have your air gun exposures. You have chemical and biological weapons. You have depleted uranium, if there's any extreme exposures, whether it's heat-related illnesses or cold exposures. You have your other heavy metals. You have explosions and any infections like the malaria or tuberculosis.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 26:57

That's in this military exposure. It goes on to talk about oil, wells, smoke, petroleum, sand, dust, particulate matter, vaccinations, solvents used for cleaning, degreasing paint stripping, paint thinners, jet fuels, medications used for prophylaxis, like the doxycycline that they used for anti-malaria. They talk about sulfur fires in Iraq. They talk about waste incinerators in Japan. So it's not just those five main categories. It includes all these other exposures that the veteran might not be thinking about.

James Cripps: 27:41

Where would somebody come by a list of those?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 27:46

So they have them listed on the VA. I know I actually have a memorandum that came out. I could probably post it on our website and then email it to you as well.

James Cripps: 27:59

Okay, yeah, if you would do that, Because you just mentioned things. You know, I've never thought about a mosquito bite or a bug bite being a toxic exposure. It is, but then you know you consider malaria or any other mosquito born. Yeah, MRSA. I'd like to get my hands on that list.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 28:27

So you also have Lyme disease with tick bites yes. That's a common one.

Ray Cobb: 28:37

Bethany a few years ago I had not heard of it recently but James may have heard of it too going to the VA in doing at Vanderbilt University concerning some they called them sand fleas or sand mites that were getting into the lungs that were causing a lot of lung infection and they were actually treating that at the VA, nashville and working with Vanderbilt to try to find a cure for it. Is that one of the sand diseases that you mentioned, sand airborne diseases that are on that list now?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 29:28

Yes, absolutely. That would be a toxic exposure and it's not. When we talk about toxic exposures, it's not toxin as in like a chemical toxin we're talking about it's a. They call it a TERA, so it's a toxic exposure risk activity. So any activities that put you in make you susceptible to an accident or an injury or to an exposure, that's what that's supposed to cover.

James Cripps: 30:08

You know I would like to inject, talking about Vanderbilt professor. There's a Vanderbilt professor. She has her own lab and her own crew inside of Vanderbilt. Her name is Kaylin Brunner Tran and they have actually studied Vietnam veterans Agent Orange exposure and how it affects our genes and they have come up with not a I wouldn't call it a cure, but an intervention into a veteran Agent Orange exposed veterans' bloodstream to regain the DNA that we lost by the exposure, that was killed by the toxin, something to do with putting back a marker in the DNA in our sperm. She actually wrote a book. It's a series, a three-book series Lives, intertwined, agent Orange Trilogy and in the third, well, the second book, she's actually got my story and my Agent Orange win in there. But you know we're concerned about our kids and grandkids. But man, if that came out which she says, they have come out with an intervention. I just wanted to put that out there and I'll get that on my website.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 31:41

I'd be interested in reading that and seeing what she's doing with the DNA.

James Cripps: 31:47

Yeah, I'll name the book on the website.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 31:58

Another thing that we have some of the veterans talking about is some of the firefighters that were in the military talk about the chemicals that they used to put out different fires they were talking about that was a concern of theirs, and so that would be something that they could also claim. Jet fuels is actually a big one. We get a lot of jet fuel nexus letters or requests a lot of jet fuel nexus letters or requests. Is that worded as jet fuel on a claim?

James Cripps: 32:30

or benzene.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 32:30

This particular doesn't but normally on the application. They're saying as a result of exposure to jet fuels.

James Cripps: 32:42

It would be J4, J5. And the firefighting stuff would be the AFFF homes and some of the other hazard stuff.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 32:55

Unfortunately, guys I used to teach in the. Navy firefighting school, so I've been exposed to this, like during their phone call with the nurse. Then it gets MD, a DO, a PA or a nurse practitioner who will then call that veteran and talk more with that veteran about their particular concerns. If they're having health issues that they think are related to those concerns, then they give them referral information for the local comp and pen clinic. They can get a registry exam and then they'll give them information for somebody that can help them file the claim.

James Cripps: 33:44

Okay, so basically the register they put you on is not really I mean, it's basically it's data collection. They put the vet in the registry and they start doing studies off the data collection. It doesn't really have anything as far as beneficial for claims because you have to file your own claim, but this just gets you in the system, you know, into that registry. It's not like the Agent Orange Registry or you know the thing. They need to have a little more, a lot more registries than what they have got. You know, because there's a lot of Navy guys that needed as best as register but they never had one. You need an asbestos register, but they never had one. Yeah, there is no communication between a VHA and a DVA. A lot of guys, I think because their PCP question them on toxic exposures. I think they kind of consider that as they've done a claim, but it's not you have to actually file the claim.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 34:49

That needs to be understood. Yes, now, once a claim is filed, then the claims processor actually has to dig into other data systems and compile. If it's not presumptive. So let's say that they're saying that they were exposed to this, but they don't have an obvious flag that, yes, they were. So they have to seek a medical opinion.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 35:16

And so for those that are not presumptive, then the claims processor has to compile a risk report for the medical examiner and so that claims processor will actually plug into different data systems in order to lay out this individual veteran's exposures. So they will put together any known hazards related to the MOS. They'll put out any known hazards related to their deployment areas or where they were stationed. They will also put there's a system that the DOD uses from the 90s. They call it ILER I don't know what the acronym is for, but it's I-L-E-R but if there's a known exposure event during service, then their name and that information gets plugged into the DOD's ILER system so that claims processor then has to compile all of that data and present it to the medical examiner for them to give an opinion on that particular claim for that veteran for them to give an opinion on that particular claim for that veteran.

James Cripps: 36:27

I think I'm going to check my bed tonight for bed bugs.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 36:30

I don't want no top-tier exposure from a bed bug bite. Oh my goodness.

James Cripps: 36:40

We sure hope not. We sure hope not. That's just unimaginable. You know Bethany's bringing this stuff up and I never even imagined that it would be such a broad spectrum of possibilities it is that's why we have our own show folks. We learn something every day.

Ray Cobb: 37:05

Absolutely.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 37:09

Well, I just find it so interesting that you know, I get that they're calling all these veterans, but you're only talking about five possibilities. You're not talking about what it actually means to have a toxic exposure possibilities. You're not talking about what it actually means to have a toxic exposure and then everything else, but nothing actually transpires from that exposure. It's like, oh, we checked a box and you move on, but then it's on the entitled to Now, in the process of learning about this, there's actually a reference to an app that the VA has came out with and I think it's not the best technology-wise, but it's actually really helpful if a veteran is trying to research their possible exposures and the name of the app.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 38:07

Let me see if I can find it on my phone. It's. Where is it? Oh, exposure Ed. So if you go to Google Play or if you go to oh Exposure Ed, so if you go to Google Play or if you go to the Apple app in your phone and you type in Exposure Ed, it's actually an app that was created for clinicians to understand what possible exposures each veteran has, but the veteran can use it in order to educate themselves about their particular exposures. So if I open up this app and I put in here Michael, my spouse. He served in 2011. So I put in the date 2011. And then I'm going to put in where I know he was deployed to, so I'm going to put in let's see.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 39:11

South Central Asia, because I know he was deployed to Afghanistan. So because he was deployed to that area, I now have a list of possible exposures that he could have experienced while in South Central Asia.

James Cripps: 39:28

So we have, and that's generated from a name, a date and a where and when served.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 39:34

Yes, you just put it, it's mainly the date and then the location and then that's going to pull up so we have like the burn pits. So if I click on burn pits it gives a description who may be exposed and what health implications to consider. So I click on health implications and it says toxins in burn pit smoke may affect the skin, eyes, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, gastrointestinal tract and internal organs. And then it goes on to talk about the level of dust and pollution common in Iraq and Afghanistan may pose a greater danger for respiratory illnesses than exposure to burn pits. So not only is that helpful for that veteran, they can say well, I know, I have this respiratory condition and I was known, I know that I was exposed to burn pits in Afghanistan. Then that helps them along as far as what to pursue and what toxic exposure they may associate it with. There's a whole list. I've got a lot of artificial body parts.

James Cripps: 40:41

I run on a watch battery. I've got a lot of artificial body parts. I run on a watch battery. I've got artificial parts. I've been reconstructed from my knees to my navel and while they were at it they installed in my head artificial intelligence. But I think I need something to plug into that. It'll expand. I can't comprehend these things. You're feeding a lot of information. You need a USB cable.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 41:07

Yeah, I need an external hard drive.

James Cripps: 41:10

Plug in the external hard drive. Send me one, Bethany.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 41:16

Well, I am totally convinced that's because you're a redneck. So until I get to meet you figure it out otherwise.

James Cripps: 41:25

How did you know?

Ray Cobb: 41:31

Well, you know, definitely at that point of my attention, which I've got to admit on my show I've always talked about veterans, but I realized that our Tennessee National Guard unit here in Franklin County, which includes gentlemen from about four surrounding counties, is a transportation group and they've been called up since 2002, 2004,. I think is the first year they went up. 2002-2004, I think is the first year they went up. We've had several times they've been called up to active duty for anywhere from six months to a year at a time. Our last time was, matter of fact, during our parade a year ago. They couldn't participate in the parade because all of them were gone. There wasn't even enough left behind to have a couple of vehicles in the parade.

Ray Cobb: 42:27

Actually, now, these guys, when they're on active duty like that, I remember I've talked with one of them and he said that he served in one of the first or second times they were called up and he said the smoke from the oil wells were so thick you couldn't even see the sun and their vehicles all day long had their headlights on and it was hard to see how they would stay on the road. Sometimes. These guys would also qualify then under this, wouldn't they?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 42:59

They sure would. And the key is there is that they were activated. So once they become activated, that's what makes them eligible. And then they were exposed. And then that's the second part.

Ray Cobb: 43:18

I may need to have a special show before my August show, just strictly to try to inform some of these individuals in our area here through the county. Service officers have been gentlemen who were actually in the military at the time and not in the National Guard, and I think a lot of my guys have been overlooked. So I need to get on that and if you're willing I'll get in contact with you and see if we can't set up a telephone interview like this and let you explain to some of our families around here. A lot of them are still working and I don't know if they have any symptoms or not, but based on what you're saying, they probably have or will in the not-too-distant future.

James Cripps: 44:19

All right. So, yeah, it's true in the not-too-distant future. Correct, it's true. Look at the exposure that people in New York City had after 9-11. You know they started getting sick after the fact. Some people are just now getting sick because of the asbestos in the building. Exactly.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 44:39

That is the perfect example for this type of exposure the toxic exposure stuff for vegans. That's the perfect example.

James Cripps: 44:49

Mm-hmm, yep, because the business doesn't play people, especially African hemocytes. It might take you 40 years to kill you. That's why we do expose that, guys. This is right down our alley. I've already downloaded this app, bethany. I'm thinking about sharing it with a couple of thousand folks.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 45:28

I was actually happy. I mean, the technology is a little glitchy when I try to look at certain things, but as far as being, if I was a civilian physician and I really didn't understand some of these military exposures, the way that it provides information is very valuable. So I I feel like other veterans that are trying to really understand some of their exposures. I think that's valuable. That would be valuable to them yep, that's true.

James Cripps: 45:58

Probably not going to be helpful for rednecks, I promise well, it's okay.

James Cripps: 46:08

Rednecks don't need hospitals, they're self healing. They are self healing, they are self healing. James, you're a remarkable individual. You've got a bad case of lucky to be here at us. Well, I say, my doctors are remarkable individuals Plastic surgeons and Bethany. I got pictures of that operation on my website. I actually traded the plastic surgeon out of those pictures. He didn't want to give them up, but he wanted some after pictures and I wouldn't agree. I agreed to swap pictures, so I posted one on the website.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 47:10

I'll have a look at it.

James Cripps: 47:11

You know there's a lot of people that were exposed to the pits and the smoke stuff over there and they come down with asthma and you know asthma itself. You know it depends on how severe it can be. But it's pretty dangerous stuff.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 47:27

It depends on how severe it can be, but it's pretty dangerous stuff and that is a presumptive condition, for I think they've put in Southwest Asia, Somalia and a few other countries there. So you want to make sure that if you have that at the burn pits, that asthma should be presumptive, the bronchitis, COPD, those are presumptive.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 47:53

We did have a case where on the presumptive list is the GI cancer of any type, and we argued a case where the veterans it wasn't GI cancer but we wrote a nexus letter saying that their stomach issues were related to burn pits and the whole idea that these burn pits can cause GI cancer but they're not going to cause other GI issues doesn't make sense to me. So clearly there's something in the GI tract that's getting affected from these burn pits because they wouldn't have made it a presumptive condition. So we were actually able to get a veteran service connected for their stomach not cancer, their stomach condition related to the burn pit exposures.

James Cripps: 48:53

Going back to the last episode. Go ahead oh yeah, go ahead, james. Yeah, going back to the last episode last Thursday, I got to thinking about that severe heartburn. Is that a sign of GERD? Is that a symptom of GERD?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 49:21

It's a symptom of GERD and it's a symptom of many other GI conditions. So if you're having heartburn that's not controlled and I'm assuming by severe you mean that it's not tame then definitely need to have that further worked up and make sure it's not something else going on.

James Cripps: 49:44

Yeah okay, I'm glad you listened quite a few listeners last week. I'm going to see what this show does. Do you have a way to tell how many listeners are tuned in? I've got back channels. There's groups and things like that and there's statistics all over the place. You look at it and see Depends on how many riders you've got. So if nobody's listening you better put the cat out. But it depends. Now Bob Eager comes on every once in a while. You know the cat walked off my keyboard last week and just about put me off the show. That's what happened last week. Of course I try to keep her away. Now it happens. Gerald's got one day the same thing. Bless his heart. But what's your opinion on the PAC Act, beth? Do you think it's going to be beneficial? Do you think they're going to start reconnecting a lot of stuff, because we still see denials on presumptive conditions?

Bethanie Spangenberg: 51:17

We're going to still see some denials on presumptive conditions and the VA has already came out and said hey look, we have new claims processors, you have to check their work. Basically, we have new claims processors, you have to check their work, basically. So I think we're still going to see some denials for the presumptive conditions.

James Cripps: 51:41

A veteran just has to stay at it and has to stay on top of it. The key word is tenacity. Yes, if I've got new people doing this and they're doing something like that, that means their training is not sufficient and that needs to be looked at from a quality assurance standpoint. That's nuts, I mean, because they have to reach a certain level to be able to do stuff like this. You've got to be trained. So that's kind of puzzling to me. You're not going to let a new person walk in and start driving a submarine when you get out of boot camp, right?

Ray Cobb: 52:23

I don't know about that you don't lift that.

James Cripps: 52:31

You're not going to let a person who's just got a driver's license get behind the wheel of your 55, are you, james? No, no, no no, no, no, I'm serious. Yeah, it's growing pains, I, but they've got to get it straightened out. But deadline date's coming up.

James Cripps: 52:55

You know, when I was in basic training, our drill sergeant put the whole company in the dumpster behind the kitchen, closed the door on that dumpster in the hot sun and run around and beat on it with his baton saying you want to live like pigs, we're going to live like pigs. I never thought about that being a toxic exposure. You got me thinking, Bethany. All right.

James Cripps: 53:25

Here's a good one for you. Here's a good one for you. Bethany will test this, probably in Navy boot camp. Okay, maybe take a good one for you. Here's a good one for you. I bet the contestant is probably in Navy boot camp. Okay, they would take your company, your group, they would put a mask on you and they would take you into a chamber and they would fill that chamber full of agent. What was it? Pepper spray, things like that.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 53:49

They'd make you take your mask off.

Ray Cobb: 53:52

Yeah, tear gas.

James Cripps: 53:53

They'd make you take your mask off inside that chamber and you'd walk out of there. Spray procedure probably still is today. If you can remember to recite your serial number correctly. The first time you might get out of there without taking a breath. So you didn't throw up If you weren't in the line, or you couldn't remember your serial number. You were going to get sick, mm-hmm, that's a fact.

James Cripps: 54:26

So you know, that's, I guarantee you, any old vets you talk to ask them. You know what they did. Ask them if they were exposed to tear gas in those chambers, you know. And then the Navy has had a lot of firefighting schools. Okay, they would send you down to this machine and you'd be working on. They'd light fires up or gas fires and you'd put them out. And then the next thing, you know, they'd start getting these valves and water start pouring in at the bottom. You'd have to stop these leaks. But then, john, the exposure to the tear gas wouldn't be a claim. You would have to show a disease related to that, probably during service, or really, really, really have a good nexus letter. You know. Otherwise, everybody that ever went through the Army, navy and Marines would have a claim. That'd be nip in the bud in a hurry, wouldn't it? Yeah, that's kind of like back in the 60s and 50s when people smoked cigarettes in the service and started piling the claims to their lungs because they smoked in service.

James Cripps: 55:39

But you know it's easy to give out zero percents. Look at hypertension. Oh yeah, hypertension. You have to have the numbers to get it. You know, you have to have the 16 to get it.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 55:50

You know you have to have the.

James Cripps: 55:51

You have to have the one, six or 100 to get compensated. Yeah, yeah, predominant readings too. Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 56:04

That rating schedule for hypertension in order to get that high compensation makes me sick, cause if I have a patient in there with blood, get that high compensation makes me sick, because if I have a patient in there with blood pressures that high, I'm panicking.

James Cripps: 56:16

To me that's not realistic compensation. I've been to the doctor's offices and I've been to the rooms and I've been admitted because of that, Bethany.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 56:27

Exactly.

James Cripps: 56:30

I've seen the bottom line hit 130.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 56:33

No, no, you don't belong in my office if that bottom number is 130. You belong in the emergency room and in the hospital.

James Cripps: 56:45

Yes, One of our vets was actually offered a ride to the emergency room during his C&P exam and they gave him 20% for hypertension.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 56:58

Let's not encourage that, please.

James Cripps: 57:01

Let's put it this way If you're serviced next to hypertension at 20% and 40%, you better get it under control because you're not going to be doing that check too long. 20% and 40% you better get it under control because you're not going to be doing that check too long.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 57:12

You know, we've actually written some nexus letters where we would state that if the veteran would not be taking these medications, that their blood pressure would be at that level and that would get them a higher percentage for their hypertension.

James Cripps: 57:28

It should be All right. Their hypertension, hmm, should be all right. Well, guys, we got about two minutes left. We'll kind of wind her down a little bit, but I want to thank Beth. If it coming on, she's a breath of fresh air. We learned a whole lot when she's on and, according to this switchboard, I've got a whole lot of other folks did too Good.

James Cripps: 57:51

You know, things like this is what needs to be got out now. That app that she's talking about, guys, that's something you guys need to download. There's been links to it because there's probably a lot of folks in the claims business that like to get their hands on it. I'm sure a lot of them do. But you know, it helps easy understanding what this stuff is all about. But I think we'll be able to use that and kind of, you know, put it together to expose that. That's what we do. We do the exposures, you know. I guess we'll just have to add the fact that to the exposures, because we're all exposed to something, right? Yeah, agent Orange, burn pits, even histoplasmosis in military bases, and All right.

James Cripps: 58:46

But, other than that anybody got anything else for the show.

Ray Cobb: 58:53

I think it was a good one.

James Cripps: 58:56

I'm done and amazed.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 58:59

Talk to everybody about the topic of exposure so they can get those claims in.

James Cripps: 59:04

Yep, remember the date, guys. That's very important for pushing it. Once that date's gone, important for pushing it.

Ray Cobb: 59:10

Well, that's one of the questions what happens after that August 10th date? If somebody realizes they have a problem after August the 10th, what's going to happen?

James Cripps: 59:24

Then it goes to the date you filed. They can claim the file, they can make their claim, but they're not going to get paid back to August, the 10th of 22.

James Cripps: 59:34

They're going to lose that year's back pay, but keep in mind, the pay for 0% is zero, right, and that's probably what you're going to get is 0%, so really, we're not worried about missing the date for a hypertension claim, right, all righty. Well, guys, I'm going to shut her down. We'll all get together again here real soon and have more fun discussions like this. I want to thank everybody for coming on and helping out. We appreciate y'all.

Bethanie Spangenberg: 1:00:10

We do appreciate y'all. You have been listening to the Exposed.

James Cripps: 1:00:14

Dead podcast. Any opinions expressed on the show are the opinions of the guest speakers and not necessarily the opinions of Exposed Dead, exposeddeadcom or Blog Talk Radio. Tune in next week for another episode of the Exposed Dead podcast. Thanks for listening.