S.2358 -- The Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998
Gulf War veterans in West Virginia and across the country are getting sick
as a result of their participation in the Gulf War, which may have exposed
them to a variety of hazardous materials and chemicals while serving their
country. But instead of receiving the care they so rightly deserve,
these veterans are given excuse after excuse by bureaucrats. It is
time to end the litany of excuses and to give our veterans the health care
they deserve. That is why I introduced legislation with U.S. Senators
Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., aimed at improving
Persian Gulf War veterans' access to compensation and benefits.
On September 8, 1998, the U.S. Senate approved the Persian Gulf Veterans'
Act of 1998 (S. 2358) which establishes a mechanism by which illnesses
and diseases associated with service in the Gulf War can be designated
as service connected for the purposes of providing medical care and benefits.
Specifically, the bill:
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provides a scientific basis for determining the association between illnesses
and exposures to hazards as a result of service in the Persian Gulf;
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authorizes the VA to presume that illnesses that have a positive association
with exposures to hazards during the war were related to service even if
there was no evidence of the illness during service;
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extends the VA's authority to provide health care to Gulf War veterans
through 2001; and
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requires the National Academy of Sciences to provide recommendations for
additional research to better understand the effects of exposures to hazards
associated with Gulf War service.
The bottom line for these veterans is that the illnesses from which they
suffer are the scars of battle, just as much as any bullet wound, and the
nation has an obligation to those who are wounded in her service.
We cannot deny these veterans their just due.
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