Radiation-related illnesses

The Amchitka Effect

    Recently we became aware that the VA has a list of radiation-related illnesses that could have affected some sailors who served aboard the USS Joseph Strauss. The sailors affected would have been aboard the Strauss on 3 October 1969. That period was when we were near Amchitka Island for the underground nuclear tests. If you were aboard on that trip and have developed any of the medical conditions listed below then you qualify for presumptive service-connected disability compensation. Presumptive compensation basically means that if you were onboard during the Amchitka cruise and have one of the diseases on the list, the VA presumes that it was caused by radiation exposure and grants you a service-connected disability. So all you need to do to qualify is to provide medical proof of your condition and to prove you were onboard at the time, which you can do with a copy of the 1969 deck logs. A copy of VA regulations pertaining to the Amchitka claim will be including on every 1969 deck log CD. Amchitka references are highlighted in the October 1969 deck logs.