VA Planning Reconsideration of Rejected Gulf War Illness Claims

Four months ago, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki took steps that were intended to make the way easier for some 200,000 Vietnam Veterans who had been exposed to “Agent Orange” to receive service-related compensation for related illnesses.

Steve Robertson, legislative director of the American Legion, said, "I can assure that there are Gulf War Veterans who have been fighting [the Gulf War illness] issue since 1991-92, the ones I've talked to are very, very upset that they've had to fight this battle."

Retired Army colonel John Gingrich, former commander of a field artillery battalion in the Gulf War says that he knows Veterans who were healthy during the war, but have since been dealing with health problems which are widely believed to be due to the syndrome. According to Gingrich, the VA is not offering any new benefits to Gulf War Vets; they are only making sure that the claims that have been submitted have been handled correctly.

Approximately 175,000 to 210,000 Veterans of the 1991 war have reported a consistent pattern of symptoms that include gastrointestinal trouble, headaches, joint pain, memory loss, muscle aches, rashes, and sleep disorders.

Shinseki appointed a task force to review benefits and care for Gulf War Veterans. He put Gingrich in charge of it. The proposed changes are coming from the work the task force has done so far.

The benefits come from a law that was enacted in 1994 which enables the VA to pay for the care of Gulf War Veterans with specific chronic illness and disabilities which the VA could not diagnose. According to the VA, more that 3,400 Veterans have qualified under this category so far.

The VA says that they will be revisiting claims from Veterans citing Gulf War illness symptoms that had been previously denied. This, they say, is the first step towards compensating them for the illness that affects them some two decades after the end of that war.

Last week, Shinseki met with Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. Rockefeller is a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee. The two men met privately in Charleston, W. VA. with a group of Gulf War Veterans, after the meeting, Rockefeller said in an interview with AP that it was Shinseki’s background as former Army chief of staff that made this all possible. He said that the military had kept poor records regarding possible exposures in the war zones, and that up until recently, the military have been reluctant to release paperwork related to the war. This situation has made it harder for Veterans to prove their case.

There were approximately 700,000 Veterans that served in the Gulf War, and this decision marks a significant change in how the VA may eventually care for them. It could also make the way easier for future Veterans suffering from war-related illnesses. Shinseki says he wants standards put in place that will not result in future Veterans waiting decades for benefits, or for answers.

James Bunker, president of the nonprofit National Gulf War Resource Center praised the decision, but added that he hopes that claim processors will also be better trained. He worries that, otherwise, the same claim may be denied repeatedly, ultimately resulting in "something that had lifted the hopes of many Veterans just to let them down again."

Source: Associated Press

The National Veterans Foundation assists Veterans with their VA medical and disability claims.  If you are a Veteran in need of help, please contact the Lifeline for Vets™ at 888-777-4443.  To support the NVF’s programs and services for Veterans in need, visit www.help-Veterans.org.