Disability Law Claims Blog

Science Finally Proves Gulf War Syndrome, Will VA Respond?

March 11, 2010 - Ross Perot has helped Gulf War Veterans achieve a potent breakthrough in their struggle against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in proving the existence of Gulf War Syndrome. In the early 1990's, Ross Perot began funding scientific research needed to support the claims of Navy Seabees returning from the Gulf War with weird illnesses. All that research came to fruition this week. 

This research started in the early 1990's and the findings were presented this week at the annual Toxicological Association Meeting. Imagery of brain scans demonstrates the damage inflicted upon the Gulf War Veterans' brains. This means after almost twenty years, the psychological damage veterans have claimed was present this entire time can finally be documented and proven.

Hopefully the DoD Congressional Directed Medical Research Program For Gulf War Illness Research will receive the $25 million in funding Congress is being asked to provide them. Should research program receive the funding, they can begin to move towards developing a treatment.  

The VA recently cut off funding for very similar research 3 years into a 5-year project. Once the research was stopped, the VA told veterans they would put the money into comparable research. This promise has not yet been fulfilled.

The Gulf War veterans and their families have been harmed physically, mentally, and financially, especially for those veterans with debilitating and devastating symptoms. Hundreds, if not thousands, of veterans and their families have been left to battle the VA on their own and up until now, were unsure if their disability claims would ever be processed and approved. Hopefully, because of these findings, that day is now sooner rather than later.