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Important! We
highly recommend that all Claimants implanted
before 6/93, whether they
know their manufacturer at this time or not, file
both a "Proof of Claim" form
and a
"Notice of Intent" form immediately
with the Dow Settlement. Call 1-888-875-5949 to get these
two forms. (unless you have already done so). Do not
just assume that you are properly registered. If you
have not received confirmation in the mail that these forms have been received,
call the Settlement Facility for Dow Corning Trust and ask them to send you confirmation. Once the settlement officially starts,
unregistered claimants will only have 90 days to do so.
Your valuable claim could be rendered "worthless" because you failed
to properly register on time. Please don't let this happen to you.
Also, companies such as Mentor, CUI, Bioplasty and others
made gel-filled (gel and gel/saline types) that were made in-part with Dow raw materials
(the silicone gel). Woman with these implants may be entitled to "Raw Materials
benefits through the proposed Dow settlement.
Important! Claimants with both a
Dow implant and other breast implants
covered under the MDL-926 Revised Settlement,
will have their benefits reduced by 50%.
As a claimant, you will fall into one of these
categories:
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(1).
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I
have proof of one or more implants that were manufactured by Dow Corning only.
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(2). |
I have proof of one or more implants that were manufactured by
either Bristol, Baxter, 3M or McGhan corporation, which fall under the
Revised Settlement Program (MDL926).
Note:
Post 8/84 McGhan gel implants will receive reduced
RSP benefits.
Post 8/84 Mcghan "saline-filled" implants placed after 8/84
may still be eligible for benefits under the "Inamed" fund.
Claimants who only had a Post 8/84 Mcghan saline-filled implant should contact the Revised Settlement
Claims Office at
1-800-600-0311 for more details on Inamed. |
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(3). |
I have
implants that were manufactured by both Dow and either Bristol, Baxter, 3M, or McGhan.
As this type of claimant, you will have to file a claim through both
settlements. Half of your settlement will be be paid by the Revised
Settlement. The other half will be paid by the Settlement Facility for Dow
Corning Trust.
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(4). |
I have implants manufactured
by either Bioplasty, Mentor, CUI, Koken, Silimed, Societe Prometel or Medasil
Surgical.
Note: The Bioplasty, Mentor, CUI settlements are now
over. However, some money may be available to you in way of a
"Raw Materials
Claim" under the proposed Dow Settlement if your "gel-filled"
implants were made by either Bioplasty, Mentor, CUI, Koken, Silimed, Societe
Prometel or Medasil Surgical, and placed between January 1, 1976 and January 1,
1992. See
Gel Claims for more details on this. |
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(5). |
I have one or more sets of
implants in which my manufacturer is
"Unknown."
If such is the case, you might do one of the following: |
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(A.) Look at
your operative reports that were transcribed by the doctor immediately
after the time of surgery. Look for keywords that might identify the
"unknown" manufacturer. These keywords can be found on a list of
"unique identifiers." It is a list of characteristics unique to the
particular manufacturer. Most importantly, they can be used as
"acceptable proof of manufacturer." when filing your claim.
Note: Implants made by Dow have their own
"unique" set of identifiers.
Likewise,
Bristol, Baxter, 3M and McGhan implants (MDL-926) have their own.
We suggest looking at both lists if you have no idea who made your implants.
Example of
Dow implants:
In the
operative report phrase: "I immediately inserted a
"Silastic II" implant into
the wound," Silastic II would be a unique identifier for Dow. Another Dow identifier would be the
words " I then inserted a
small "cronin" implant into the wound,"
where cronin (pre-1971) is the unique identifier for Dow-Corning.
Example of
an implant covered under the MDL-926:
In the operative phrase: "I then inserted a
"polyurethane"
coated implant into the
right breast pocket," polyurethane is the unique identifier.
Note: Polyurethane is a type of "foam" that
covers the prosthesis. These implants, made by Bristol, were
taken off the market for health concerns. Other
foam-covered brands made by Bristol were Replicon, Meme, Vogue, Natural Y, and
Optimam.
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For
a List of Dow Unique Identifiers,
Click here. |
For a List of MDL-926
Unique
Identifiers, Click here. |
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(B).
Click here to
visit our Frequently-Asked Question (FAQ) webpage. It will help you to properly request your medical
records. |
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(C). A final
option, used by many of our clients, is to have the implants removed
(explanted) and sent to a specialist for identification. These doctors
have vast knowledge of breast implants, knowledge that goes way beyond
merely using unique identifiers. To learn
more about professional implant identification,
please click here. |
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