New definitions for Gulf War illnesses

Gulf War illnesses also linked to Afghanistan service

NEW STUDY CONNECTS GULF WAR ILLNESS

If you served in Afghanistan, you may suffer from illnesses or other conditions that are assumed to be related to service in this region. These are called presumptive diseases.

Find out if you can get disability compensation or benefits.

Am I eligible for disability benefits from VA?

You may be eligible for disability benefits if you served in Afghanistan and didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge. Your illness or condition must also meet certain requirements.

Both of these must be true of your illness or condition: • It started while you were on active duty or after September 19, 2001, and •It resulted in a disability rating of 10% or more You must have received a diagnosis of one of the illnesses or conditions listed under one of the time periods below:

Eligibility requirements related to time of diagnosis

If your illness or condition was diagnosed within one year of your date of separation

You can get disability benefits for your illness or condition if you have one of these presumptive diseases: • Brucellosis • Campylobacter jejuni

• Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) • Malaria (or sooner in some cases) • Nontyphoid salmonella • Shigella • West Nile virus

If your illness or condition was diagnosed at any time after your date of separation

You can get disability benefits for your illness or condition if you have one of these presumptive diseases: • Mycobacterium tuberculosis • Visceral leishmaniasis

What kind of disability benefits are there?

• Health care • Compensation (payments)

How do I get these benefits?

You’ll need to file a claim for disability compensation. Find out how to file a claim at www.va.gov/disability/how-tofile-claim/

What if I need help?

Get help from a trained professional trusted to help with VA-related claims. Find info at va.gov/disability/get-helpfiling-claim/

Looking for local help? See the “How can I get help?” section in this publication.

GULF WAR SERVICE DEFINED

For VA benefits purposes, Gulf War service is defined as active military duty in any of the following areas in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations at any time from Aug. 2, 1990, to present. This includes veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2010) and Operation New Dawn (2010-2011). • Iraq • Kuwait • Saudi Arabia • The neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia • Bahrain • Qatar • United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) • Oman

• Gulf of Aden • Gulf of Oman • Waters of the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea • The airspace above these locations

VA offers eligible veterans a free Gulf War Registry health exam at publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/ This can find possible long-term health problems related to Gulf War service.

Veterans may also be eligible for the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry at publichealth.va.gov/ exposures/burnpits/registry.asp Looking for local resources on Gulf War-related illnesses? See the “How can I get help?” on page 5 of this publication.

TO SARIN EXPOSURE

Following the Persian Gulf War, one-third of all personnel who went into combat reported unexplained chronic ailments including rashes, tiredness, stomach and digestive problems, brain fog, neuropathy, and muscular and joint pain.

Recently, a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives used genetic research and survey data to conclude that U.S. service members who were exposed to sarin, a nerve gas, were more likely to develop Gulf War Illness. Those who were exposed and had a less active version of a gene that aids in pesticide digestion were nine times more prone to experiencing exposure symptoms

With estimates at more than 100,000 Gulf War veterans not getting help, the work is not done.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has traditionally not been welcoming to veterans who sought medical help for these symptoms after the war. Many veterans were usually sent to psychiatrists for mental health treatment.