Published: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 11:20 AM CDT
New Veterans Affairs regulations taking effect on Aug. 15 specify that
functional gastrointestinal disorders are covered as presumptive
illnesses.
Gulf War veterans who meet the criteria listed below do not need to
prove a connection between their military service and medically
unexplained chronic multi-symptom illnesses in order to receive VA
disability compensation.
VA presumes certain chronic, unexplained symptoms existing for six
months or more are related to Gulf War service without regard to
cause. These =93presumptive=94 illnesses must have appeared during active
duty in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations or by Dec.
31, 2011, and be at least 10 percent disabling.
For VA benefit purposes, Gulf War service is active military duty in
any of the following areas in the Southwest Asia Theater of military
operations any time during the first Gulf War starting Aug. 2, 1990,
through the current conflict in Iraq. This includes veterans who
served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-10) and Operation New Dawn
(2010 and continuing).
Included in the Southwest Asia theater are Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
The neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, The
United Arab Emirates, Oman, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, waters of the
Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea and the airspace above
these locations.
These illnesses include:
Chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition of long-term and severe fatigue
that is not relieved by rest and is not directly caused by other
conditions.
Fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by widespread muscle pain.
Other symptoms may include insomnia, morning stiffness, headache and
memory problems.
Functional gastrointestinal disorders, a group of conditions marked by
chronic or recurrent symptoms related to any part of the
gastrointestinal tract. Functional condition refers to an abnormal
function of an organ, without a structural alteration in the tissues.
Examples include irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia and
functional abdominal pain syndrome.
Undiagnosed illnesses with symptoms that may include but are not
limited to: Abnormal weight loss, fatigue, cardiovascular disease,
muscle and joint pain, headache, menstrual disorders, neurological and
psychological problems, skin conditions, respiratory disorders, and
sleep disturbances.
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