Military Health, Tricare programs - Army Times

Gulf War illness

More than 200,000 veterans have been seen in military or Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities for care related to their service in the Persian Gulf War. Both the VA and the Defense Department are trying to keep track of sick Gulf War veterans and do research to help determine possible causes. Federally funded research is ongoing on possible effects of low-level exposure to chemical warfare agents, depleted uranium or other toxic exposures.

More than 80,000 veterans of Operation Desert Storm have completed the Persian Gulf War Veterans Registry health examination at VA medical centers.

Ill spouses and children of Persian Gulf War veterans also receive free health exams at VA centers.

Persian Gulf veterans qualify for free VA care if the VA finds that their condition may have resulted from exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard. Veterans who have health concerns related to their Persian Gulf service should contact the nearest VA medical center.

Certain illnesses are presumed connected to service and are compensable as such. Persian Gulf War veterans with certain chronic but undiagnosed illnesses, or illnesses defined by a cluster of symptoms, such as chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome or fibromyalgia, can be eligible for VA disability compensation. The condition must manifest during military service or by Dec. 31, 2011.

Persian Gulf veterans who develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) also can be compensated under a presumption that it is connected to service.

The VA publishes a periodic newsletter, the “Gulf War Review,” to update veterans on research and available benefits. The VA’s Web site has a Gulf War section at http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar. That site has a link to VA’s Gulf War Handbook, outlining benefits and services for veterans of that conflict. A toll-free help line operated by the VA is available at (800) 749-8387.

Specialists at the Persian Gulf Information Center in St. Louis can be reached by phone weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time. Recorded messages provide information around the clock, seven days a week.

Contact: See the Pentagon’s Gulf War illnesses information Web site, www.gulflink.osd.mil.