Gulf war Veterans
This Gulf War Veterans page will address some information relevant to VA Compensation for veterans of this war.
All military veterans that served in the South West Asia theater during the Gulf War from 1990 present are eligible for the Gulf War Registry examination. This includes those who served in Iraq, United Arab Emirates, the mutual zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian sea and Red Sea. These examinations include blood-work urinalysis chest x-rays and EKGs. This exam is not required for VA benefits or compensation. The results of the examination is sent to the veteran and are put into the veteran’s medical record.
Gulf War Syndrome or Undiagnosed Illness
Certain medical conditions are automatically recognized for service connection for Gulf War Veterans. Gulf War veterans with certain chronic disabilities resulting from illnesses that VA could not diagnose that appeared during active duty in the Gulf War or within a specified time period after Gulf War service, which led to a degree disability of 10% or more. The VA recognizes three conditions as presumptively recognized for service connection they are fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome also called IBS. If you are a veteran who has been diagnosed with one of these conditions, you should apply for VA compensation. If you have been denied service connection for these conditions previously then you should apply for VA disability compensation because these three conditions were recognized by public Law 107-103 in 2001. So, if you were denied benefits for these conditions before 2001 or you have not applied for VA compensation and you have one of these diagnoses you should apply for compensation. Keep in mind these are not the only three conditions in which you can be found service-connected under the presumptive law for Gulf War veterans. You can be found service-connected for other undiagnosed illnesses that either appeared during your active duty in the Gulf War or within a specified time period after Gulf War service as long as it led to a degree of disability of 10% or more. This law refers to what is commonly called Gulf War Syndrome.
PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
According to “Gulf War and health: Volume 6 physiologic, psychological, and psychosocial effects of deployment-related stress,”a report from the Institute of Medicine. A copy of this report can be found at www.nap.edu. Those who served in war have an increased chance of suicide, accidental death, and alcohol abuse after leaving the war zone. There is also an increased rate of marital and family conflicts. This same report noted stresses from SCUD missile and artillery attack, combat, contact with POWs, witnessing dead animals and people, separation from family, combat related injuries, length of deployment, fear of chemical weapon attack, and sexual assaults. The report was far from definitive on many issues, however, it was clear that the veterans who were in the war zones reported more medical conditions and worse health than those veterans who were not in war zones. It was also expressed in the report that veterans of the 1991 Gulf War and other war veterans may have an increase chance of developing psychiatric disorders such as PTSD, depression and anxiety.
Gulf War veterans who suffer from symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, memory, and, balance problems, ringing in the ears, irritability, sleep problems, feeling numb, startling easily, feeling on guard constantly, or having nightmares should check with with their medical provider for the possibility of having PTSD or traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI can be caused by injury to the head such as IED blast, other explosive blast, or being hit in the head.