Noteboom The Law Firm

Omnibus Bill Funding New Gulf War Illness Research

December 23, 2010 - The Omnibus DoD Appropriations for fiscal year 2011 are being deliberated in the House and the Senate. The word on Capitol Hill is that those appropriations will include money dog-eared for research into Gulf War Illness. The funding is split into 2 different groups. The Peer Reviewed Gulf War Illness Research Program will be granted $8 million and $3.8 million will be directed towards the ALS Therapy Development Institute Gulf War Research Project. All the funding is bound for the Department of Defense Congressionally Direct Medical Research Program (DoD CDMRP).

The first appropriation to the DoD CDMRP Gulf War Illness Research was $5 million, and every year since then has resulted in $5 - $10 million in funding. Because of how critical research into Gulf War Illness is, the DoD CDMRP has drawn essential and support in the past from both U.S. Representatives and Senators. Research into Gulf War Illness is still under-funded though and while the Omnibus Bill does provide some funding, it is not enough for what needs to be accomplished.  

Approximately 657,000 soldiers served in the Gulf between 1990 and 1991 in Operation Desert Storm. Of those, approximately 25% have described themselves as significantly ill and use VA health care. These numbers will likely grow in the coming years, and it is imperative there is adequate funding for research to treat and/or cure this serious illness.