Widow of Vietnam-era veteran appealing denial of claim by VA

Click here for updates on this story

    OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — A veteran’s widow is fighting for benefits long after her late husband’s death. Denied once, she is appealing.

Mary Reinhardt is the widow of Richard Reinhardt, and claims he died from cancer 44 years after exposure to the jungle-killing chemical Agent Orange, even though his tour of duty was not in Vietnam.

“He guarded the planes flying in and out from Okinawa that were contaminated with Agent Orange,” Mary said.

But her claim to collect about $1,300 a month for a service-connected death was denied.

“You can be in direct support of the Vietnam War and not be in Vietnam and still be contaminated with these barrels of Agent Orange, and that’s what happened to my husband,” Mary said.

And she has reinforcement from Arlene Murray, a Gold Star wife and veteran’s advocate from Washington state.

“This is like trying to pull a needle out of a haystack and a bureaucratic-military process that is causing an incredible amount of mental stress and havoc for military surviving spouses,” Murray said.

Veterans Affairs states there’s no record of a cancer diagnosis while Richard served in the 1960s nor is there evidence of exposure to herbicides.

“They actually want a photo of him standing by this particular plane that he guarded, however, that’s not possible because he was in a high-secured area,” Mary said.

So tying the discovery of Agent Orange barrels to where Richard’s unit was stationed is strategic to the appeal.

To prove the Agent Orange exposure benefits are warranted, the women have put together 350 pages of evidence topped by a letter from an oncologist who examined Richard just months before he passed away.

The cancer specialist’s letter to Veterans Affairs states Richard’s multiple myeloma was due largely — if not entirely — to his military service and contact with herbicides during those years. An expert opinion Mary and Murray hope will outrank any reason for denying benefits.

“We’re not giving up, that’s right. We’re strong women and our husbands would be proud of us, yep,” Murray said.

Though not addressing this case specifically — a Veterans Affairs statement says a claim can’t be granted without evidence that:

– The veteran died from a service-connected illness or injury.

– Died from service-connected total disability.

Veterans Affairs encourages spouses who believe a veteran’s death may be associated with military service to file a claim for benefits.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.