Copyright Newsweek
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been urged to add Gulf War illnesses to the official roster of service-connected conditions that qualify veterans for monthly disability payments and VA health care enrollment. Why It Matters Ronald Brown, who serves as a toxic wounds consultant with the nonprofit Vietnam Veterans of America, made the request after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally recognized Gulf War illness as a medical condition earlier this month. Gulf War Syndrome is a term used to describe the range of unexplained illnesses reported by veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War. The condition presents differently in each individual, but common symptoms include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cognitive difficulties, skin rashes, and diarrhea, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. More than 700,000 troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991, with an estimated one-third developing unexplained medical symptoms. What To Know In a letter dated October 16 to Margarita Devlin, principal deputy undersecretary for benefits, Brown called on the VA to “act swiftly” to designate Gulf War illness as a condition that can receive a disability rating and benefits calibrated to the severity of each veteran’s case. A VA spokesperson told Newsweek that experts working on the issue had been furloughed due to the government shutdown, resulting in a delayed response. The exact cause of Gulf War Syndrome remains uncertain, though several possible factors have been identified. Exposure to chemical warfare agents—such as nerve gas—or to pyridostigmine bromide, a drug given to soldiers as a preventive measure against chemical attacks, may have played a role. Psychological factors, including post-traumatic stress disorder, are also considered potential contributors, as many affected veterans experience accompanying psychiatric disorders. Other possible causes include contact with hazardous substances such as smoke from oil well fires, pesticides, depleted uranium, and solvents or corrosive liquids used during equipment repair and maintenance. For many years, veterans with these symptoms were given the diagnosis of “medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness” rather than Gulf War illness because the condition was not formally recognized until October 1. That lack of an official diagnosis created confusion for some veterans and for VA processes, according to Mike Jarrett, a 66-year-old Gulf War Army veteran from Virginia. “I think having a diagnosis of multi-symptom illness created a lot of confusion for veterans and for the VA,” Jarrett told Stars and Stripes. What People Are Saying Ronald Brown, a toxic wounds consultant, said in a letter to the VA: “These steps are essential to honor the commitment to our Gulf War veterans and ensure they receive the recognition, compensation and support they deserve." Paul Sullivan, an Army veteran and national vice chair of the nonprofit Veterans for Common Sense: “Following the CDC’s approval of an official diagnostic code for Gulf War illness, veterans find it hard to understand why VA hasn’t immediately issued new regulations adding the Gulf War illness [as a medical condition] so hundreds of thousands of afflicted veterans can obtain the VA benefits and care they need and earned." What Happens Next
