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.
59 results found
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Screen registry for symptoms that are now presumptive and award ratings.
VA needs to screen vets on the registry for conditions on their initial claims that meet the now presumptive conditions and award compensation and ratings. Why do I have to go back, open a new claim, for what I originally cited in 1991?
22 votes -
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 -
reform the C&P exams
If a specialist from the V.A. (I have had 3 Rheumatologists) agree on a diagnosis, Don't let the C&P examiner who is not a specialist in the field of the ailment, deny the claim. I am sure the specialists who are trained in the field of the ailment can properly diagnose it!
18 votes -
Sorry, VA, you have zero credibility; Yet we hope there will be some deliverance.
How about -- as if you are even listening -- using the research already amassed by credible 3rd party scholars. How about you actually determine any correlation between GW service and MS/MS-like symptoms as you were directed to in 2008. How about you stop denying GW vets' claims, despite the plethora of civilian dr.s' evidence often submitted in support. How about you require your staff not to treat GW vets as malingerers. How about you reward those minority of VA staff that try to do the right thing while trapped in a corrupt organizational structure. Until we see proactive and…
14 votes -
Its Not All In My Head
Unfortunately, PTSD has been the DX of choice by many Physicans that do not have the time or answer to all the symptoms - everything from ALS, lymphnode probs, thyroid, strokes in hyperthalmus at the age of 30, rashes, Sleep Apnea, early age dxs of protate cancer, war vet Moms access to common symptoms of their children's issues - Despite probs in VA they've made some progress since my 1st visit in 1992 - still have thyroid disease, lymphnode and other probs that haven't been addressed seriously or compensated for - there's still a lot more Public Officials should be…
13 votes -
VA denies compensation for respiratory illnesses during Gulf War
Program where vets can apply and be evaluated based on claim.
12 votes -
VA Doctors need to not be "afraid" to diagnose GWS illnesses that are on the registry for compensation. Not 1 VA doctor will put their name
VA Doctors need to not be "afraid" to diagnose GWS illnesses that are on the registry for compensation. Not 1 VA doctor will put their name on CFSW as they say CFS is too broad. I meet the criteria for it but for some reason they will not diagnose this. Maybe better training for docs on the GWS illnesses.
12 votes -
Every Year That Passes I see LESS and LESS about PB Pills and Khamisiyah, Iraq
As time passes on and each new GW report comes out I am sad, but not shocked, to see less and less about our exposure to Pyridostigmine Bromide Pills and Sarin Nerve Agent exposure at Khamisiyah Ammunition Depot. If we use the same timeline for the VA to recognize our GW illnesses as they did with Vietnam and Agent Orange, I figure about the year 2026 everyone of us will be able to finally get some closure. We must not let our anger about what is happening to all of us get in the way of how things work in…
11 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 -
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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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 -
Change institutional philosophy of nontrust to trust and partnership with the vets
The whole backlog is based upon nontrust..verification of every item without much common sense processing. Why not trust by giving provisional approvals of ratings based upon signed documentation from vet with proponderance of medical evidence used in conjunction with known VA research. Perform followup audits based upon contradictory or questionable medical evidence
9 votes -
When I returned I was already having bad migraines, rashes, vertigo, Irritable bowell syndrome, joint pain, chronic pain and fatique just to
When I returned from the gulf war I was already having bad migraines, rashes, vertigo, Irritable bowell syndrome, joint pain, chronic pain and fatique just tobegin to name what I remember...was checked for brain tumor due to symptoms but no go. Went thru the drill at Walter Reed with the registry but no help. retired from the service NS ATARTED filing my claims with the VA. I fought tooth and nail over the idea that we were exposed to crap over ther...with this neurologist bitch...I'd be yelling at her that she wasn't there so STFU cause you don't know anything.…
9 votes -
One thing everyone should say is "why has the VA not done a follow-up study on all of the diagnosed illnesses in the veterans of Desert Sto
One thing everyone should say is "why has the VA not done a follow-up study on all of the diagnosed illnesses in the veterans of Desert Storm? They was to have done one a few years ago that was to look a all of the illness we are diagnosed with not the mental health issues. I know many with Migraines, GERD, sleep apnea, nerve problems, and thyroid disorders. When will you do this study to look at the deployed and non deployed veterans? We are smart and know that most that cannot get into the service is because they may…
8 votes -
8 votes
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Include information and data relevant to affects to offspring of these vets
Please research, include inform vets and families of the potential illnesses the children of these vets potentially may or have experienced. Civilian pediatricians are NOT informed or up to date on the syndrome, our children are being misdiagnosed, medicated and without any medical relief
Help
7 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 -
Compensation
If certain conditions are presumptive from Gulf War Illness, then the VA should compensate veterans immediately - similar to that of Agent Orange of the Vietnam era. If the veteran was there, received the Southwest Asia Medal and/or Combat Action ribbon, they should receive a minimum of 30% compensation. If the veteran shows signs of additional conditions at a later time, they file a claim for compensation and should get additional compensation. I am currently at 70% disabled due to PTSD and sinusitis. From these 2 conditions, I have high blood pressure, sleep apnea (using a CPAP), erectile dysfunction, sleep…
7 votes -
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 -
"The Gulf War Registry is only as good as the Physicians who make the correct diagnosis"
The physician's who originally did the first diagnosis's when the registry came out didn't have anything to go by only hearsay. Now, because of our advance technology in the medical field you would think that we would have found something other than naming them undiagnosed illnesses or illnesses that are known but they won't review them as possible illnesses due to the PGW environment or give the veterans the benefit of the doubt, or more likely than not issue. But because of the influx of the new combat veterans and with the new presumptive disabilities from the Vietnam War we…
6 votes
