Gulf War veterans with undiagnosed, disability qualifying benefits now have an extension on their deadline to apply for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The extension is due to a recent change in VA regulations which affects veterans from the conflict with undiagnosed or poorly understood medical problems that may stem from military service.
“Not all the wounds of war are fully understood,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “When there is uncertainty about the connection between a medical problem and military service, veterans are entitled to the benefit of the doubt.”
Some things that still may be misunderstood include chemical weapons, vaccinations, environmental hazards and more. Gulf War operations are defined as those who served on active duty in Southwest Asia from August 2, 1990 through the Iraq War and subsequent reduced operations in Iraq, including Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. Veterans affected by injuries or illnesses that occurred in war are entitled to benefits and they are attainable.
Veterans should be aware that there are deadlines in their claims that must be timely met or they will lose their entitlement to benefits. Additionally, in order to prove their claim, it may be necessary to retain private medical experts to supply medical evidence that would otherwise not be available through treatment in VA’s medical system. The law offices of Harold W. Conick and Associates are committed to assisting veterans in developing and retrieving the necessary medical evidence to prevail on there claim.
