Illnesses VA Recognizes as Associated with Gulf War Service

VA presumes that specific disabilities diagnosed in certain Veterans were caused by their military service. Gulf War Veterans with the illnesses shown below may be eligible for health care and disability compensation. 
Medically Unexplained Clusters of Symptoms
For Gulf War Veterans, VA has recognized certain unexplained clusters of symptoms existing for six months or more as associated military service in the Gulf.  The illnesses must have appeared during active duty in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations or by December 31, 2011, and be at least 10 percent disabling. 
Illnesses include medically unexplained clusters of symptoms that have existed for six months or more, such as:
▪ Chronic fatigue syndrome
▪ Fibromyalgia
▪ Irritable bowel syndrome
▪ Any diagnosed or undiagnosed illness that VA’s Secretary determines should be presumed to be associated with Gulf War service
Signs or symptoms of an undiagnosed illness may include:
▪ Abnormal weight loss
▪ Cardiovascular signs or symptoms
▪ Fatigue
▪ Gastrointestinal signs or symptoms
▪ Headache
▪ Joint pain
▪ Menstrual disorders
▪ Muscle pain
▪ Neurologic signs or symptoms
▪ Neuropsychological signs or symptoms
▪ Signs or symptoms involving the skin
▪ Signs or symptoms involving the upper and lower respiratory system
▪ Sleep disturbances
Infectious Diseases
VA recognizes the following infectious diseases as related to military service in Southwest Asia during the first Gulf War starting August 2, 1990, through the conflict in Iraq and on or after September 19, 2001, in Afghanistan:
▪ Brucellosis
▪ Campylobacter jejuni
▪ Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)
▪ Malaria
▪ Mycobacterium tuberculosis
▪ Nontyphoid Salmonella
▪ Shigella
▪ Visceral leishmaniasis
▪ West Nile virus
Veterans must have the diseases within a certain time after service and have a current disability as a result of that disease in order to receive health care and disability compensation for the diseases. Learn more about infectious disease time limits and symptoms.

VA Encourages Affected Vietnam Veterans to File Claims

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun distributing disability benefits to Vietnam Veterans who qualify for compensation under recently liberalized rules for Agent Orange exposure.
“The joint efforts of Congress and VA demonstrate a commitment to provide Vietnam Veterans with treatment and compensation for the long-term health effects of herbicide exposure,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

Up to 200,000 Vietnam Veterans are potentially eligible to receive VA disability compensation for medical conditions recently associated with Agent Orange.  The expansion of coverage involves B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease.

Shinseki said VA has launched a variety of initiatives – both technological and involving better business practices – to tackle an anticipated upsurge in Agent Orange-related claims.  
“These initiatives show VA’s ongoing resolve to modernize its processes for handling claims through automation and improvements in doing business, providing Veterans with faster and more accurate decisions on their applications for benefits,” Shinseki said.

Providing initial payments – or increases to existing payments – to the 200,000 Veterans who now qualify for disability compensation for these three conditions is expected to take several months, but VA officials encourage all Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and suffer from one of the three diseases to make sure their applications have been submitted. 

VA has offered Veterans exposed to Agent Orange special access to health care since 1978, and priority medical care since 1981.  VA has been providing disability compensation to Veterans with medical problems related to Agent Orange since 1985.

In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness do not have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service.  This “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.

The three new illnesses – B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease – are added to the list of presumed illnesses previously recognized by VA.  

Other recognized illnesses under VA’s “presumption” rule for Agent Orange are:
·         Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy
·         Chloracne
·         Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
·         Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)
·         Hodgkin’s Disease
·         Multiple Myeloma
·         Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
·         Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
·         Prostate Cancer
·         Respiratory Cancers
·         Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or Mesothelioma)
·         AL Amyloidosis

Veterans interested in applying for disability compensation under one of the three new Agent Orange presumptives should go to www.fasttrack.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000.