VA wants to hear from Gulf War vets
The Department of Veterans Affairs released a study Friday into how to care for veterans…of 1991’s Gulf War, notorious for a spate of ailments lumped together as Gulf War syndrome. It notes:
Of the 529,034 Servicemembers who served in Operation Desert Shield (of whom approximately 6.8 percent were women), 152,126 Veterans filed disability compensation claims and were subsequently service-connected for at least one condition…Of the 581,683 Service members who served in Operation Desert Storm (of whom 7.1 percent were women), 165,596 Veterans filed disability compensation claims and were subsequently service-connected for at least one condition…Yet throughout these years many Veterans have felt disenfranchised in these efforts, and under-served by VA. Stakeholders have been critical of VA’s culture and processes as well. The excess of unexplained medical symptoms reported by deployed 1990 – 1991 Gulf War Veterans continues to elude connection to any specific medical condition or conditions.
“This report provides a roadmap for our continued enhancements in our care and services we provide to Gulf War veterans,” VA Secretary Eric Shinseki says. “We will be applying lessons learned from this report to veterans of all eras.” Vets can comment on the study here.
Makes you wonder what kind of reports they’ll be issuing 20 years after the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns wrap up.