Filing a claim for disability compensation
VA provides disability compensation to Veterans who are suffering from an injury or illness that occured during active military service. For certain Veterans who served in the Gulf War at any time after August 1, 1990, the illness they experience may be characterized by a wide range of symptoms, such as joint pain, muscle pain, headaches, respiratory issues, fatigue, or weight loss. Sometimes, these symptoms do not match up with recognized categories of disabilities and cannot be diagnosed or explained like most medical conditions that are treated in a clinical setting. VA considers these symptoms as "undiagnosed illnesses," or in certain cases, "medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses," such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or functional gastrointestinal disorders.
If you are a Veteran who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations and are experiencing symptoms that you relate to your military service, and you choose to file a claim for disability compensation, here are some important things you should know:
1. Be specific. When filing a claim, you should not merely claim "Gulf War Syndrome" or "Gulf War illness." This does not provide the level of detail required to process the claim. Instead, provide as many details about the claimed disability as possible to include: a description of the specific symptom(s) you are experiencing, the date each symptom began, how long the symptom(s) have lasted, and all places of treatment for each symptom. VA recommends that you submit the actual medical reports for any and all treatments of your described symptoms. This includes any tests or lab findings.
2. Submit statements from family or friends. Although these statements are not required by VA, they may help to establish the presence of a chronic disability. These witness statements should include information from the section above and any other observations about how the disability is affecting you, both physically and mentally.
3. Attend all examinations that VA orders for each symptom or condition. These examinations are critical for VA to understand your disability pattern. In some cases, VA may need multiple exams and/or diagnostic tests. Be prepared to fully describe each symptom and any past treatments from private physicians.
VA recognizes that Gulf War Veterans may experience signs and symptoms that cannot be attributed to a known clinical diagnosis. VA disability compensation can still be paid for these undiagnosed illnesses or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses if the condition manifests to a degree of at least 10 percent disabling at any time after service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. Veterans may file a claim for benefits at www.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 for more information and assistance.
Gulf War Service Locations for VA Benefits
For VA benefits, Gulf War Service includes active military duty that occured any time after August 1, 1990, in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003- 2010) or Operation New Dawn (2010- 2011) in the following locations:
- Iraq
- Kuwait
- Saudi Arabia
- The neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.)
- Oman
- Gulf of Aden
- Gulf of Oman
- Waters of the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea
- The airspace above these locations
