2012 Report of the Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF)
The Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) was set up to address the specific and unique concerns of Veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War Era. The focus of the GWVI-TF is to develop and integrate new knowledge into services that will directly benefit Veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War.
The 2012 Report of the Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) is located at: http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/Draft_2012_GWVI-TF_Report.pdf
Over the past year, the GWVI-TF has continued to work to improve care and services to Gulf War Veterans. The work has proceeded around a premise that the efforts must become a part of the culture and ongoing operations of VA and not simply the purview of a special Task Force. To accomplish this goal, the GWVI-TF solidified the framework for organizing and synchronizing its efforts. That framework serves as the overarching template for this report. The framework is composed of the seven lines of effort listed below. These seven lines provide the framework of the 2011 and 2012 reports. VA welcomes your comments and suggestions regarding the report in each these areas. Please select the link(s) below and provide us your feedback on this important report.
- Clinical Care: Leveraging Veteran-Centric Specialty Services in Primary Care
- Clinical Education and Training: Putting Clinical Knowledge Into Practice
- Veteran Benefits: Delivering Compensation and Pension and Fiduciary Services
- Veteran Outreach: Improving Communications to Gulf War Veterans
- Partnerships: Improved Data Sharing with the Department of Defense
- Ongoing Scientific Review and Surveillance: Taking Advantage of Untapped
- Sources of Data Related to Veterans’ Health
- Research and Development: Encouraging Targeted Efforts
Thank you for your continued service and for helping VA to improve the services to this important Veteran group.
36 results found
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The VBA's and the VAMH's just don't communicate with each other or verify the medical condition properly and timely.
As someone who had a great involvement with the VBA's and VHA's, I have witnessed too many times the misunderstanding or lack of communicating, coordinating and cooperation from both sides to the Veterans and Their Families. The VA uses their M-21R to base their decisions not Title 38 the regulatory law or follow the statutory law of 38 USC, they don't update their e-benefits for their current status, they don't communicate with the VSO's, CVSO's, and National or State VSO's on a continued basis. And I would highly suggest that every veteran who had served during the PGW, (1990-1991) be…
6 votes -
Late showing of symptoms
Most of returned without signs or symptoms so we did not report to sick call on active duty. Now, with symptoms that are reported in GW reports, vets are denied because of NOT reporting conditions while on active duty.
247 votes -
Why is VA hiding its first GWVI-TF report from September 2010?
Why has the GWVI-TF webpage not have a link to its first report back in September 2010. In fact, there is no link on the VA website to this report at all. Those of us that were around for it know this information. The report is at http://www.va.gov/Final20GWVI-TFReport.pdf . How odd is that, with VA leaving this off its Gulf War webpage and its own task force webpage, Its mostly filled with ramblings of the past and then lots of unnecessary fill materials at the end. The next one would be much shorter.
11 votesThanks for pointing this out. I will see why the links were crosswired. I believe that there was an issue with this version as it looks like it it is still a draft based on the wide column on the right.
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Doing more than dictating policy once a year to veterans via this forum as its contents are either ignored or censored for content
Public comments have been made over the last 2 GWVITF reports that either were ignored completely or were altered for content. Then on top of that the task force operates in secret vacumn the rest of the year with no public involvement ( website ) as it endorses the careers of its members who in some cases have no place in this arena. You have no authority and cant even get simple things done like the publishing of the Gulf War Review or any type of oversight into failing programs issues, or reports, The March 13th House VA subcommittee had…
19 votes -
Dont tell us that its our work or way of life.
We are Proud Vets, We don't come to you because we want you to make us feel all warm and cuddly. We are not stupid either. We see our coworkers do the same job as we do, our friends doing the same chores. But they are not wrecked at the end of the day or simply cant do it.
66 votes -
STOP blamming it all on age and fat,,,,,
I been told ever since I left active duty that all my problems were from something other that what I contracted from over there. It's al because I failed to complain about it right off cause I had to much self respect to report it.....we were frowned upon for looking for help and was told nothing was wrong with us when we did look for help.....Now all my problems are blamed on something other than what the military caused in me. I spend most of my time getting test done and taking more medicines than I should be cause they…
190 votes -
Diabetes and desert storm is also an issue!
Check on linking diabetes to list of medical illnesess from Desert Shield and Storm, a lot of vets have it ,munitions, oil, fires, PB etc etc.
176 votes -
Set up a forum for the docs, let all docs treating us, have a stake in the research.
Set up a forum, specifically for the docs treating the gulf war vets. Let them discuss amongst each other what problems they see, and what they find that works, and does not work.
Have researchers post their findings, and let the docs discuss their implications.
Several GWI researchers have proven that we have brain damage, yet none of my docs know, or care.
We all have complex migraine issues, yet we all have to start out with Tylenol for 6 months, to prove it is not helpful.32 votes -
Use the Gulf war registry, use the GW vtes problem lists. There is many things we have wrong, that is common between us.
The data is there, stop trying to reinvent the wheel every time. We all have sleep problems, a combination of no rem sleep, and central sleep apneas, yet every doc wants all of us to go through trying all the meds, even though they have not worked for other GW vets. Recognize sleep disturbances w/ sleep apnea, as compensable illnesses. We all have bad migraines, yet some get compensation, and others don't, depends on the way the wind was blowing when the RQ decided the claim.
Do some meaningful nationwide research on our problems. Not this stuff of mindfullness training,…318 votesGeorge,
Thanks to the new “idea” for the feedback site. I look forward to more comments and feedback to your idea and others.
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Research and Development: Encouraging Targeted Efforts
Through the Office of Research & Development (ORD), VA funds research that will further the goal of improving the health and lives of Veterans who have GWVI, including the complex of chronic symptoms that affect Veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War.
Please provide your comments, questions, and suggestion on how we may improve the Research and Development section of the report.
32 votes -
Ongoing Scientific Review and Surveillance: Taking Advantage of Untapped Sources of Data Related to Veterans’ Health
Ongoing scientific review is critical to understanding the environment that impacts health. There are Veterans’ health-related data available from sources other than studies conducted by VA. Having access to and understanding these data sources is important in comprehending the complex array of adverse health effects associated with deployment.
Please provide your comments, questions, and suggestion on how we may improve the Ongoing Scientific Review and Surveillance section of the report.
4 votes -
Partnerships: Improved Data Sharing with the Department of Defense (DoD)
DoD and VA provide health care and benefits to the same population at different times in their lives. Environmental exposures occur during active duty whereas the potential clinical consequences can manifest later when the former Servicemember is a Veteran. For this reason it is critical that VA and DoD share clinical and exposure data.
Please provide your comments, questions, and suggestion on how we may improve the Partnerships section of the report.
11 votes -
Veteran Outreach: Improving Communications to Gulf War Veterans
VA is dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans of all eras and their eligible family members and survivors by providing them with the benefits and services they have earned. Research shows there is a lack of awareness when it comes to specific services, and Gulf War Veterans continue to require and rightfully expect timely and accurate information about VA’s efforts to support them. VA uses other means, including social media, to get information out. VHA’s OPH collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention (CDC) to obtain Internal Revenue Services’ (IRS) mailing addresses for the entire list…
62 votes -
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 provides training letters designed to inform and instruct regional office personnel on development and adjudication of disability claims based on Southwest Asia service. 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 continued to work…
106 votes -
Clinical Education and Training: Putting Clinical Knowledge into Practice
The GWVI-TF Clinical Education and Training effort focused on improving the VA’s ability to put critical clinical knowledge and expertise at the point of care. Where the Clinical Care work was aimed at synchronizing specialty and primary health care, this effort was in direct support, providing necessary clinical education, training, and subject matter expertise. The Veterans health Administration (VHA) Office of Public Health creates training modules now universally available online for patients and clinicians. Additionally, VA hosts exposure seminars to enhance clinician knowledge about the health impacts of various environmental exposures and publishes other resources to help primary care and…
7 votes -
Clinical Care: Leveraging Veteran-Centric Specialty Services in Primary Care
One of the aspects of the framework that most directly impacts our Veterans everyday is the Clinical Care line of effort. Clinical health care for Gulf War Veterans is one of the most critical services VA can provide. This line of action is directly supported by Clinical Education and Training to ensure VA providers are well prepared to care for this population. Clinical care also benefits from research and development and Ongoing Scientific Review and Surveillance which inform and direct the best in evidence-based healthcare. The GWVI-TF has developed a prototype for a networked Gulf War Clinic which will be…
11 votes
