03-03-2022, 03:51 AM
In a May 20 feature for The War Horse, David Goldstein chronicles the health impact of service on Gulf
War veteran John Saul, USMC, and the challenges he, like many of his fellow Gulf War veterans, face
when trying to get help from the VA. His skin problem was eczema, VA examiners told him, and they used
the wrong rules on the other claims. Saul appealed. VA corrected its mistake and approved service
connection for his fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome.
A 2017 GAO report found that VA had denied more than 80% of Gulf War illness claims. Denial rates
were three times higher than for all other medical issues related to the war, and the claims process took
longer. And more recent research from veterans service organizations shows the problem hasn’t improved:
Two veterans’ advocacy groups, Veterans for Common Sense and Vietnam Veterans of America, analyzed
VA’s claim decisions between 2002 and the first quarter of 2018 and found that VA rejected 90% of
undiagnosed disability claims from Gulf War veterans, denying them Congress-approved eligibility for free
VA medical care. The claims process for Gulf War illness veterans remains so badly broken that nearly all
veterans who apply are improperly denied.
War veteran John Saul, USMC, and the challenges he, like many of his fellow Gulf War veterans, face
when trying to get help from the VA. His skin problem was eczema, VA examiners told him, and they used
the wrong rules on the other claims. Saul appealed. VA corrected its mistake and approved service
connection for his fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome.
A 2017 GAO report found that VA had denied more than 80% of Gulf War illness claims. Denial rates
were three times higher than for all other medical issues related to the war, and the claims process took
longer. And more recent research from veterans service organizations shows the problem hasn’t improved:
Two veterans’ advocacy groups, Veterans for Common Sense and Vietnam Veterans of America, analyzed
VA’s claim decisions between 2002 and the first quarter of 2018 and found that VA rejected 90% of
undiagnosed disability claims from Gulf War veterans, denying them Congress-approved eligibility for free
VA medical care. The claims process for Gulf War illness veterans remains so badly broken that nearly all
veterans who apply are improperly denied.