Veteran Benefits: Delivering Compensation and Pension and Fiduciary Services
As research and environmental study evolves or new legislative and regulatory provisions are written regarding illnesses for Gulf War Veterans, the VA Compensation Service of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) performs necessary rule-making and develops field training to support the changes. To further assist Gulf War Veterans, Compensation Service developed two training letters designed to inform and instruct regional office personnel on development and adjudication of disability claims based on Southwest Asia service. VA also completed a regulation to add functional gastrointestinal disorders to the list of disabilities that are presumed to have resulted from service in the Gulf War. The final rule was published and became effective on August 15, 2011. VBA continues to work with the VA/DoD Deployment Health Working Group to identify environmental exposures whether related to the Gulf War or elsewhere. Finally, VBA worked with the VHA on an effort to develop and execute a separation health assessment with DoD, an effort that is intended to reduce the future burden of proving service connection that Veterans often must bear when seeking recognition for exposure-related illnesses and injuries years after service.
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Jeremiah C Gritton commented
Don't send out prescribed medications for veterans like myself with the before mentioned GI conditions without making sure the patient knows how to use it. I have this inhaler sent to me for GI problems and have no idea if I'm even using it correctly...I don't even look forward to making an appointment to get this instruction because everytime I see the VA GI Docs, my condition is apparently continuously worse and they want to operate. ;(