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Veterans' Compensation: Evidence Considered in Persian Gulf War Undiagnosed Illness Claims

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date May 28, 1996
Report No. HEHS-96-112
Subject
Summary:

More than 700,000 men and women served in the Middle East during the Persian Gulf War. Some of these veterans began experiencing symptoms, such as fatigue, weight loss, and skin conditions, that could not be diagnosed or associated with a specific illness. Congress passed legislation in 1994 allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay compensation to veterans for undiagnosed illnesses connected to their service during the Persian Gulf War. As of July 1995, VA had denied nearly 95 percent of the 4,144 claims that it had processed for Persian Gulf veterans claiming such disabilities. In response to congressional concerns about the high denial rate, GAO reviewed the procedures VA used to process Persian Gulf War undiagnosed illness claims. This report discusses (1) the evidence standards that VA has established to process Persian Gulf claims, (2) the evidence in the claim files that VA considered in reaching its decisions, and (3) VA's reporting of the reasons for denial.

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