4 Ways To Find Military Exposures A O/ G W S

[pacmanx1]

Years ago when I was doing my own research on my medical health, I contacted the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for as much information they could help me with and this is what they sent me. I was just cleaning my PC and thought that this may help other veterans. Of course there is a lot more on the site but I think this is a good start.

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/vaccinations-medications.asp

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/sources/vaccinations.asp

Hope this helps

Edited February 15, 2015 by pacmanx1

[Navy04]

Thanks for the info!!!

[tdubya82]

[deleted]

Edited July 21, 2016 by tdubya82

[Buck52]

If any veterans has not got into the AO registry please do so at your VAMC contact your pcp,

they will set you up an AO exam & place you in the registry makes things easier if you ever come down with an AO disease!

[Chuck75]

How are we supposed to know what we were exposed to? I have asked all of the doctors/specialists I have seen if they thought my issues could be related to exposure. Most of them look at me cross-eyed and/or hand me a pamphlet about burn pit registry. There seems to be a huge lack of understanding across the board, and we're the ones left to suffer.

I know we had burn pits, but we also moved into an abandoned building and sucked in a lot of dust and inside and out. I was hit by a mortar round and remember not being able to breathe from all of the dust and gunpowder. Whose responsibility is it to connect the dots?

"Whose responsibility is it to connect the dots?"

Ultimately, the veteran, who else?

By now it should be obvious to veterans that the VA has a legal responsibility in this area, but quite frequently just goes through the motions.

The C&P examiners often seem to be those who are by habit, inclination, or training, more than willing to assign medical problems to any remotely plausible cause that is not service connected.

One of the common examples is a C&P examiner saying that high blood pressure is "essential", rather than caused by a service connectible condition that is known to often cause HBP.

It's also interesting that "Essential" has different meanings. One is "I don't Know". Another is "of itself". The VA uses the latter.

Why? "I don't know" would be slightly more positive to a claim than "of itself", and still allow the examiner to weasel word the exam.

I actually had an examiner do this, and then have a denial for HBP reversed by Nehmer as secondary. Sadly, the examiner was even one of the area VAMC's more veteran friendly ones.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Chuck75

[Guest]

Whose responsibility is it to connect the dots?

IMHO, any veteran that is suffering or being treated for any condition 6 months or more should file a claim for that condition. Keep in mind that VA pays compensation on the symptoms that are chronic. The veteran should insure that he/she is being compensated for their disability because if they don't VA won't.

A prominent condition affecting Gulf War Veterans is a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems. These illnesses include: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a condition of long-term and severe fatigue that is not relieved by rest and is not directly caused by other conditions. Fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by widespread muscle pain. Other symptoms may include insomnia, morning stiffness, headache, and memory problems. Functional gastrointestinal disorders, a group of conditions marked by chronic or recurrent symptoms related to any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Functional condition refers to an abnormal function of an organ, without a structural alteration in the tissues. Examples include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia, and functional abdominal pain syndrome. Undiagnosed illnesses with symptoms that may include but are not limited to: abnormal weight loss, fatigue, cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, headache, menstrual disorders, neurological and psychological problems, skin conditions, respiratory disorders, and sleep disturbances.

Military service connection Gulf War Veterans who meet the criteria below do not need to prove a connection between their military service and illnesses in order to receive VA disability compensation. VA presumes certain chronic, unexplained symptoms existing for 6 months or more are related to Gulf War service without regard to cause. These "presumptive" illnesses must have appeared during active duty in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations or by December 31, 2016, and be at least 10 percent disabling.

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/medically-unexplained-illness.asp

Edited February 15, 2015 by pete992

[ArNG11]

Pete excellent points, however, the VA is quick to give the symptoms a diagnosis and then do not pass go and do not collect $200. It irritates and frustrates me to no end because they, the VA, gets this easy way out. In my case and most others one a diagnosis is given,done. If not in your active duty records and while in service, done. Never mind if you have private medical records documenting the symptoms, diagnosis attributable to a specific disease done. Is there a better way to fight this VA conundrum regarding undiagnosed illness or "Gulf war syndrome" I've been having a daisy of time trying to do it and still don't have a way in. Also this is also with VA raters attributing some health problems due to GWI, such as IBS, GERD, and Hypothyroidism, but not Sleep apnea, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue. It's very difficult to connect when coexisting illness and conditions overlap with similar symptoms. Im curious if they would do a study between active duty and activated guard and reserve units and see what the statistics are with service members having these very same issues. I fear that report or data would not surface. Feels a lot like Desert Storm/Desert Shield. There's a reason why that tape changes color. There's reasons why all these registries are up. Eh blah. I think I may be beating up a dead horse. Running low on happy pils. MNBSO.