Benefit victory not end for vet’s widow in Eustis

Amy Rippel | Special To The Sentinel
February 17, 2009

EUSTIS – When Jill Wilkins filed a veteran’s-death claim in December after her husband — an Air Force reservist who served in Iraq — died from a brain tumor, she assumed it would take months to process.

The Eustis woman was shocked when the claim was approved a mere 21 days later, in early January.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs determined that Kevin Wilkins’ family is entitled to service-connected death benefits. But a bigger question remains unanswered: Was Kevin Wilkins’ brain tumor the result of exposure to burn pits in Iraq?

That question may take months, if not years, to be answered, according to Jill Wilkins and federal officials.

Still, Jill Wilkins said she is proud of the work her husband did and grateful to get some financial and education assistance as a result of his service.

“If he had died two days later, it would have been a whole different ball game,” she said. “As fortunate as I am in my situation, what about the others? Because we know they’re out there and they’re sick.”

Locally, Kevin Wilkins worked as a nurse at Florida Hospital Waterman in the ambulatory surgical unit and the emergency room. Before that he worked in the emergency room at Ormond Beach Memorial Hospital.

He was a member of the 920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base, where he served as a Critical Care Air Transport Teams nurse. He was deployed twice — to Balad from May to August 2006 and then to Qatar from January to April 3, 2007.

He was hospitalized on March 26 with blinding headaches and vomiting, and diagnosed with a brain tumor. He died six days later, on April 1, at age 51.

While hospitalized, he told doctors that his headaches started in early 2007. In the hospital, a doctor asked Kevin whether he had been in contact with chemicals in Iraq. He explained that the burn pits were used to burn trash, including medical waste, plastics and chemicals, Jill Wilkins said.

Jill Wilkins started questioning the safety of the burn pits after reviewing a December 2006 report completed by the U.S. Air Force that called the burn pits in Balad an “operational health risk.”

However, a 2007 Air Force report contradicts the earlier report by saying testing has shown the pits at Balad pose no significant health risk.

At the urging of friends, Wilkins filed the death-benefits claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs on Dec. 17.

Collette Burgess, a Veterans Affairs assistant veterans services center manager, said approving benefits for Wilkins had nothing to do with possible exposure to burn pits.

She said that the brain tumor was a “presumptive disability.” Because a tumor is typically slow progressing, it was assumed that Wilkins had it when he was on active duty. And because he died within one year of service, his family was entitled to service-connected death benefits.

“Presumably, the brain tumor was there while he was on active duty,” Burgess said.

As part of the death benefits, Wilkins and her two teenage children will get educational assistance, among other things. Jill Wilkins said even though her struggle for benefits has ended, she will continue to help others who face similar problems.

“I’m so excited and I feel blessed that it happened in such a short time that I almost feel it’s my responsibility to try to find others who are struggling with the system,” she said. “I’m trying to figure out how to do that.”

Kerry Baker of Disabled American Veterans said he has heard from hundreds of Iraq war veterans who said they have disabilities caused from burn-pit exposure. But the issue is just now reaching the radar screens of public officials and legislators.

“It’s a brand-new subject even though it’s been going on for a long time,” said Baker, the DAV’s associate national legislative director in Washington, D.C.

He said it’s going to take people like Wilkins to come forward and tell their stories for more attention to be paid.

“We don’t want this to take another 20 years, like Vietnam and the Gulf War,” he said of helping troops exposed to toxins released from the burn pits. “We know what they’ve been exposed to.” (click HERE to read the original article)

Jill-It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. Kudo’s to you!!!

Ms Sparky

Other Related Posts From Ms Sparky

1. Burn Pits: The Jill Wilkins’ Story
2. Arkansas veteran warns servicemen about the danger of “burn pits” in Iraq
3. Lawmakers to hold news briefing on burn pits June 11, 2009
4. Troops Worried About Exposure To The Burn Pits
5. Balad Burn Pits-A Families Tragic Reality