Sen. Schumer to assist LI veteran denied help from VA

<p>Sen. Charles Schumer is offering to help a Valley Stream veteran who says Veteran Affairs will not help him following his cancer diagnosis.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 5, 2017, 5:24 PM

Updated 2,656 days ago

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Sen. Schumer to assist LI veteran denied help from VA
Sen. Charles Schumer is offering to help a Valley Stream veteran who says Veteran Affairs will not help him following his cancer diagnosis. 
News 12 reported that Jerry Chiano was 19 when he served in the Navy and went to Vietnam in the late 1960s. At the time, he ate fish from the local rivers and bathed in river water, without thinking anything of it.
A few years ago, Chiano was diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of bile duct cancer that's been linked to "liver fluke," a parasite found mostly in Southeast Asia.
However, the VA is denying his claim, saying that they don't recognize his condition as "Vietnam related."
After seeing the report on News 12, Sen. Schumer says he is sending a letter to the secretary of the VA demanding an investigation into the cause of his cancer.