Everything you Need to Know About VA Benefits for Gulf War Veterans
VA Benefits for Gulf War Veterans
Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations from August 2, 1990 to present, often experience unique disabilities related to their service. There are four main types of VA disability benefits for these Gulf War veterans: (1) Medically Unexplained Illnesses (or Gulf War Syndrome), (2) Infectious Diseases, (3) presumptive conditions related to burn pits, and (4) direct service connection. If you are a veteran of the Gulf War era, read on to see if you are eligible for VA disability benefits.
Notably, as this Gulf War era continues to the present, these benefits will likely extend to the servicemembers serving in the region during the current Iran conflict, although the VA has not mentioned this specifically yet.
Who is eligible for Gulf War VA Benefits?
For Gulf War Registry purposes, Gulf War service includes active military duty in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War from August 2, 1990 to the present. This includes veterans who served in Desert Sheild, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. It includes veterans who served in:
- Iraq
- Kuwait
- Saudi Arabia
- The neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- The 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
Medically Unexplained Illnesses
Many veterans who have returned home from the Gulf War have recounted similar unexplainable symptoms, such that the VA now recognizes that cluster of symptoms as related to Gulf War service. In other words, the VA now presumes that certain chronic, unexplained symptoms, that began or were exacerbated after active duty and existing for 6 months or more, are related to Gulf War service. When a condition is “presumed” to be related to service, the veteran does not have to prove, or establish, the connection between military service and the current condition—the VA concedes there is a connection.
You may have heard other veterans refer to these conditions as “undiagnosed illnesses,” “Gulf War illness,” “chronic multisymptom illness,” and “medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.”
These “presumptive” illnesses include:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS),
- Fibromyalgia,
- Functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia, and functional abdominal pain syndrome.
- Undiagnosed illnesses with symptoms that may include: abnormal weight loss, fatigue, cardiovascular signs and symptoms, muscle and joint pain, headache, menstrual disorders, neurological and neuropsychological problems, gastrointestinal problems, skin conditions, respiratory disorders, and troubling sleeping.
Although there is no known single cause for these multisymptom illnesses, the VA believes that they might have arisen from the many hazards veterans were exposed to during operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, such as:
- Vaccinations (anthrax, botulinum toxoid, and pyridostigmine bromide)
- Oil well fires
- Pesticides
- Sand and dust particles
- Depleted uranium
- Chemical and biological weapons
- Chemical agent resistant coating paint
For more information on these hazards, click here.
The VA presumes the following infectious diseases are related to military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations from August 2, 1990 to present and in Afghanistan on or after September 19, 2001.
- Malaria: Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one yearfrom the date of military separation or at a time when standard or accepted treatises indicate that the incubation period began during a qualifying period of military service.
- Brucellosis: Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year from the date of military separation.
- Campylobacter Jejuni: Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year from the date of military separation.
- Coxiella Burnetii (Q Fever): Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of the date of military separation.
- Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
- Nontyphoid Salmonella: Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of the date of military separation.
- Shigella: Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of the date of military separation.
- Visceral Leishmaniasis
- West Nile Virus: Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year from the date of military separation.
Presumptive conditions related to burn pits
You may also be eligible for VA disability benefits if you (1) have a diagnosed illness or other health condition that’s caused by exposure to a specific toxic hazard in the air, soil, or water, and (2) you served on active duty in a location that exposed you to the hazard.
Under the PACT Act, the following conditions are presumed to be related to in-service burn pit and other toxic exposures:
- Brain cancer
- Gastrointestinal cancer of any type
- Glioblastoma
- Genitourinary cancer
- Head cancer of any type
- Hematologic and lymphatic cancers
- Lymphoma of any type
- Melanoma
- Neck cancer of any type
- Pancreatic cancer
- Reproductive cancer of any type
- Respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type
- Asthma that was diagnosed after service
- Chronic bronchitis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic rhinitis
- Chronic sinusitis
- Constrictive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis
- Emphysema
- Granulomatous disease
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
- Pleuritis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Sarcoidosis
Additionally, the VA concedes that you were exposed to burn pits or other toxins if you served in the following areas during the designated times.
If you served in any of these locations on or after September 11, 2001:
- Afghanistan
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Syria
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
- The airspace above any of these locations
If you served in any of these locations on or after August 2, 1990:
- Bahrain
- Iraq
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- The airspace above any of these above listed locations
- Arabian Sea
- Gulf of Aden
- Gulf of Oman
- Neutral zone between Iraq/Saudi Arabia
- Persian Gulf
- Red Sea
The Gulf War Registry
The VA offers a free Gulf War Registry health exam for anyone who believes they may have been exposed to hazards during military service in the Gulf region.
The VA also concedes that service near burn pits in the Gulf has caused many post-service medical conditions. If you were exposed to toxic chemicals near a burn pit during your military service, you may also consider joining the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR 2.0).
These registries are free to eligible veterans and do not require VA health care enrollment.
Contact Vets National Advocates
Did you serve in the Gulf War and are now experiencing unexplained symptoms? Did you suffer from an injury during your service in the Gulf and the VA has denied your benefits? If so, you may be eligible for VA disability benefits. We are here to help you appeal! Contact us to reach our advocates today, or call 1 (877) 777-4021 to take the next step in obtaining the VA disability benefits you deserve.
