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September 21, 1995 AUGUSTA FOCUS
Mysteries of Persian Gulf maladies
under intensive government microscope
By Kenneth W. Kizer, MD, MPH
Under Secretary for Health
Department of Veterans Affairs
Four years ago, nearly 700,000
American men and women left
the smoke, sand, stress and trau
ma of the Persian Gulf War and
returned to the cheers and acco
lades of their country. They had
freed Kuwait, protected U.S. in
terests in the Persian Gulf and
come home heroes. As the cheers
faded, most of those who served
returned to their communities,
families and jobs, and life contin
ued as before. But not for all.
Some who served in the Gulf had
health complaints that neither
they nor their doctors could ex
plain.
Within months of their return
from the Persian Gulf, and occa
sionally sooner, some veterans
began reporting vague but persis
tent problems such as fatigue,
headache, skin rash, joint pain,
nausea, shortness ofbreath, mem
ory loss and other symptoms.
These symptoms ranged from
mild to severe. Some of the previ
ously healthy warriors became
bedridden. Medical evaluations
have revealed a wide range of
common illnesses in many of the
veterans; forothers, the diagnoses
have remained elusive.
Having learned from the Agent
Orange experience, the Depart
ment of Veterans Affairs (VA) act
ed quickly and decisively. Assoon
as the possibility of medical prob
lems surfaced in Persian Gulfvet
erans, a special registry was initi
ated in August 1992. Veterans,
whether sick or not, were — and
still are — invited to receive a free
medical examination and basic
laboratory studies at their local
VA Medical Center. A specific
REGINALD D. SIMMONS
& ASSOCIATES, P.A.
Attorneys and Counselors at Laow
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Reginald D. Simmons
Attomney at Law
Alken Offices
306 Laurens St., N.W.
P.O. Box 1309
Alken, South Carolina 29802
(803) 648-4687 Fax: (803) 648-1984
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protocol for the evaluation is fol
lowed so the information can be
compared. To date, more than
46,000 veterans have signed on to
the Persian Gulf Registry.
Shortly afterestablishingthe reg
istry, VA designated three medical
facilities as Persian Gulf referral
centers. A fourth has been added
more recently. At these special sites
—Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX;
Birmingham, AL; and Washington,
DC—veterans whose conditions
have not been diagnosed by the ini
tial evaluation can receive an exten
sive work-up by teams of medical
specialists.
Approximately 7,600 registry
participants to date have symp
toms that do not have a ready
clinical explanation. For them,
and their ill comrades who may
notyet have sought VA assistance,
research is under way to find an
swers to their problems.
The VA established three envi
ronmental hazards research cen
ters in October 1994 — Boston,
MA; Portland, OR; and East Or
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Atlanta-Buckhead Offices
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Ailanta, Georgla 30305
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ange, NJ — to focus initially on
the possible health effects of envi
ronmental exposures in the Per
sian Gulf. Each center will receive
atleast $500,000 per year in fund
ing over the next five years.
In August 1993, President
Clinton designated VA as lead
agency for all federally-funded
research into the health effects of
the Gulf War. In January 1994,
the President established an in
teragency group —the Persian
Gulf Veterans Coordinating
Board—to work to resolve the
health concerns of Persian Gulf
Veterans. This board, headed by
the Secretaries of the Depart
ments of Veterans Affairs (VA),
Defense (DoD) and Health and
Human Services (HHS), is over
seeing and coordinating working
groups focusing on research, clin
ical issues and disability compen
sation. And on March 6 of this
year, the President announced the
formation of a Presidential Advi
sory Committee on Gulf War Vet
erans’illnesses. The committeeis
Augusta Offices
801 Broad Street
P.O. Box 508
Augusta, Georgia 30901
(706) 722-6755 Fax: (706) 722-7015
Within months of their
return from the Per
sian Gulf, and occa
sionally sooner,
some veterans be
gan reporting vague
but persistent prob
lems such as fatigue,
headache, skin rash,
joint pain, nauseaq,
shortness of breath,
memory loss and
other symptoms.:
charged with conducting a com
prehensive review of the federal
government’s efforts on Persian
Gulf health care concerns and
making recommendations to the
President on the Gulf War veter
ans’illnesses and related research,
outreach efforts, and reports of
the possible detection of chemical
or biological weapons.
The President also advocated
landmark legislation, which he
signed in November 1994, autho
rizing VA to pay compensation to
certain Persian Gulfveterans with
undiagnosed illnesses notwith
standing the fact that no link has
been established between their
health problems and service in
the Gulf. They are being given the
benefit of the doubt while science
searches for the answers needed
to diagnose their illnesses and
provide effective treatment.
At this point, VA and other in
vestigators must determine
whether the rate of undiagnosed
conditions among Persian Gulf
veterans is higher than would be
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“Y< true I can’t do everything I used to.
But [ ¢ » still drive a car, and cook, and
work, and pretty much live life the way [
want to. Walton just showed me how to be a
little more creative than the average person.”
At Walton Rehabilitation Hospital, we
don't just provide rehabilitation services. We
specialize in them, for everything from major
expected in the general popula
tion. Toward this end, VA has
initiated an important study to
compare the health of 15,000 Gulf
veterans with the health of 15,000
veterans who did not go to the
Persian Gulf.
Concerns alsohave been raised
regarding possible transmissibil
ity of the undiagnosed illnesses,
although preliminary studies
suggest these fears are unfound
ed. For example, a study by the
Mississippi Department of
Health and the Centers for Dis
ease Control and Prevention
(CDC) found no increased rate of
birth defects or illness in the
children of Persian Gulf veter
ans. CDC is evaluating blood
drawn from individuals who
served in the Gulf and is con
ducting a telephone survey in
lowa to compare the health sta
tus of veterans who served over
seas during the Gulf War to those
who served elsewhere during the
same period. The results of these
studies are not yet available.
The anger and anxiety that
surround the undiagnosed ill
nesses of our Persian Gulf veter
ans is understandable. We owe
it to our veterans to use every
medical and scientific weapon at
our disposal to learn why they
have become ill and to find a way
to return them to good health.
VADOD and HHS are deter
mined to take the mystery out of
the maladies associated with
Persian Gulf service. In doing
so, we will likely also benefit the
larger number of non-veterans
who have similar conditions.
Veterans who want more in
formation about health care and
compensation are encouraged to
call the toll-free VA helpline - 1-
800-PGW-VETS.
WALTON
REHABILITATION
&\ HOsPITAL
Sponsored by St. Joseph Center for Life Inc. & University Health Services Inc.
1355 Independence Drive, Augusta, GA 30901-1037 ¢ 706-724-7746 « 800-332-4544
- -
be eligible for
VEAP refunds
Veterans who contributed into
the Veterans Educational Assis
tance Program (VEAP) from the
late 1970 s to the mid-1980s may
be eligible for a refund if they did
not use the educational benefits.
“Veterans have 10 years from
their date of discharge to use the
benefit,” Commissioner of Veter
ans Affairs Pete Wheeler said.
“Unlike other GI educational
programs, money contributed but
not used by the veteran is re
fundable.”
VA reports that it has more
than a quarter billion dollars in
unused VEAP funds that will be
turned over to the government’s
general fund if not claimed.
Under the VEAP program, an
individual could contribute a
maximum of $2,700. The gov
ernment then matched the par
ticipant’s contribution at therate
of $2 for every $1 the individual
put into the fund.
Veterans will only be refunded
the unused amount they put into
the fund. The government’s con
tribution will not be refunded.
If not used during the 10-year
period, there is an additional one
year period to request a refund.
Contributions not refunded af
ter 11 years from time of dis
charge will be transferred to the
general government fund.
Individuals were eligible to
enroll in VEAP if they entered
active duty for the first time af
ter December 31, 1976 and be
fore July 1, 1985. A contribution
to VEAP had to have been made
prior to April 1, 1987.
“I encourage those who think
they might be eligible for a re
fund to contact their local De:
partment of Veterans Service
office,” Wheeler said. ;
strokes and trauma to arthritis. With doctors
who are board-certified specialists, with fully
qualified therapists, clinical psychologists, and
registered nurses certified for rehabilitation.
And with programs to successfully make the
transition from hospital back to real life.
Phone 800-332-4544 to help regain a lost
ability. And to make the most of all the rest.