Part 4: The active involvement of all levels and sectors is needed.

(Baonghean)Following the series of articles "Implementing the support regime for victims of Agent Orange poisoning," Nghe An Newspaper received many comments. Not only did those processing applications for the benefits find the procedures difficult and cumbersome, but those in positions of responsibility also had many concerns and anxieties about this issue. Reporters from Nghe An Newspaper interviewed leaders of relevant departments and organizations..

Mr. Dinh Xuan Tu - Chairman of the Association of Agent Orange Victims in Nghe An Province: Policy officials have not yet shown empathy for the victims.

According to feedback from Agent Orange victims to the Association, policy officials are still rigid, even lacking specific knowledge of the policies and empathy for the victims, leading to difficulties and obstacles for those applying for benefits. In some cases, the same type of application is processed for some but not for others, simply because of personal connections. As a result, many people resort to intermediaries to get their applications approved. Many have complained to the Agent Orange Victims Association about the abuse of power and harassment by officials at the ward, commune, district, and city levels, as well as the use of intermediaries to facilitate Agent Orange benefits. Therefore, it is necessary to add members of the Agent Orange Victims Association at all levels to the application review council.

The Nghe An Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is more stringent and difficult than the regulations set by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs in reviewing applications for preferential treatment for Agent Orange victims. Reviewing applications for benefits cannot be done within a specific timeframe (although our province set a deadline of December 31, 2012), but must be completed when all outstanding applications are processed. The most difficult issue currently is that those who participated in the resistance movement in areas contaminated with Agent Orange have lost their documents and are unable to complete their applications. This requires specific solutions and attention from all levels of government to help and facilitate these individuals in completing their applications for preferential treatment.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Minh - Vice Chairman of the Veterans Association of Nghe An province: There are still too many pending cases.

Currently, many completed applications remain pending because no one dares to verify their accuracy, and they have to wait for the appraisal council at various levels. In some districts, officials from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs demand the submission of original documents (whereas photocopies with notarization can be used and compared with the originals), and these original documents are related to other benefits, so applicants are afraid of losing them and dare not submit them.

We request that the responsible agencies promptly review the submitted applications at all levels, and if any documents are missing, they should be asked to provide the missing information.

Due to a lack of coordination among responsible agencies and departments, people are unable to understand who is eligible and who is not, leading to a rush to submit applications to receive preferential treatment. Because of this lack of understanding, even those who are eligible have to rely on intermediaries to get their applications processed. In my opinion, the number of applications processed by intermediaries and the number of those applications submitted to higher levels and awaiting approval are not insignificant.

To address this situation, relevant departments and local authorities must coordinate their efforts to raise public awareness about who is eligible for these preferential benefits, and actively participate in assisting Agent Orange victims in completing their application dossiers. People must also clearly understand whether they are eligible for these benefits, rather than simply accepting them without considering the possibility of being exploited or scammed by unscrupulous individuals.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phung - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An: Many districts have not done a good job of disseminating information and implementing the program down to the grassroots level, leading to delays and invalid applications.

Regarding the current situation of "brokerage" networks facilitating the processing of benefits, it is not yet possible to confirm whether or not they exist, as the application and approval process involves many relevant departments and agencies. In late 2009 and early 2010, according to public opinion in Dien Chau, there was a "brokerage" network facilitating the processing of Agent Orange benefit applications. The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the Provincial Police, verified the information. Of the several thousand applications submitted to the Dien Chau District Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, 42% were found to be invalid.

Before submitting Decision 1197 (April 14, 2011) to the province (a decision that many consider stricter than in other provinces, causing disadvantages for victims - PV), we sent delegations to learn from the experiences of other provinces and developed a plan to submit to the Provincial People's Committee. We invited districts and relevant parties to training sessions before implementation. Due to the complexity of the application process in some provinces, on May 23, 2011, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs issued a document stating that priority should be given to cases of cancer and those with medical records from 2009 or earlier. Because of this document, we had to temporarily stop processing cases that did not fall under these categories.

Many applications submitted to the Provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs are rejected because the district and commune levels do not conduct thorough assessments, leading to invalid applications, and in some cases, even applications from people who did not serve in the military.

The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has issued directives and urged the Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Offices in the districts, but in the recent review (September 9, 2011), seven districts – Con Cuong, Ky Son, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh, Tan Ky, Quy Hop, and Que Phong – had still not compiled the dossiers for review. Of the remaining 13 districts and towns, out of 238 dossiers submitted, 203 were reviewed, leaving 35 invalid. Many districts have not done a good job of disseminating information and implementing the program at the grassroots level, leading to delays and invalid dossiers.

Furthermore, the conditions set by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of National Defence, and the Ministry of Health for reviewing applications for assistance to victims of Agent Orange are still problematic and unreasonable, causing difficulties in the application review process. For the time being, the Department will focus on resolving cases according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs' official letter dated May 23, 2011. The remaining cases will be compiled and reported to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs for guidance on how to handle them.

To prevent people from being scammed or targeted by intermediaries during the application process, districts, towns, and cities must do a good job of disseminating information, and application forms must be posted at commune and ward offices for people to easily access. District and city-level authorities must urge local units to implement these measures and ensure active coordination among various sectors.

Reporters' Team