This website is maintained by Robert M. Hunter, PhD, a Vietnam Veteran who was diagnosed with MGUS in 2016. While temporarily living in Oakland CA while his wife obtained a PhD in Nursing at UCSF, Dr. Hunter came into contact with other Vietnam Veterans seeking healthcare at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. At about the same time, he became aware of research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that showed that MGUS is positively associated with exposure to Agent Orange. Dr. Hunter also noted that VA copayments would discourage some Veterans from seeking healthcare for their MGUS.
To rectify the situation and ensure that MGUS would be handled by the VA like other diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange, Dr. Hunter filed a petition with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The petition asked that the VA provide copayment-exempt care for MGUS to improve health outcomes of all herbicide-exposed Veterans diagnosed with the condition. The accepted standard of care after MGUS has been diagnosed is life-long follow-up monitoring to ensure that progression to a malignancy or another related condition is not occurring. The petition also asked the VA to consider offering screening for MGUS to Veterans who had been exposed to herbicides during their service.
Robert M. (Bob) Hunter, PhD
410 South Church Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 581-2234
bob@webpatent.com