ABSTRACT
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing this interim final rule to amend its adjudication regulations regarding compensation for disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses suffered by veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War. This amendment is necessary to extend the presumptive period for qualifying chronic disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses that must become manifest to a compensable degree in order that entitlement for compensation be established. The intended effect of this amendment is to provide consistency in VA adjudication policy and preserve certain rights afforded to Persian Gulf War veterans and ensure fairness for current and future Persian Gulf War veterans.
Subject(s)
Compensation and Redress/legislation & jurisprudence , Disabled Persons/legislation & jurisprudence , Persian Gulf Syndrome/economics , Veterans Health/legislation & jurisprudence , Veterans/legislation & jurisprudence , Gulf War , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
Measures of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were used to predict Veterans Affairs outpatient treatment costs among Persian Gulf War veterans with medically unexplained physical symptoms. Patients (N = 206) enrolled in a Veterans Affairs primary care clinic for Persian Gulf War veterans completed study assessments at the initial appointment or at a proximal follow-up visit. Costs of care for mental health, medical, and pharmacy services for these veterans were computed for the subsequent 6-month period. Depression and PTSD symptoms explained a significant share of variance in costs of mental health care and pharmacy services, after adjustment for covariates. None of the mental status measures was significantly related to costs of medical care. Models using global measures of mental health status were as robust as models using disorder-specific measures of PTSD and depression in predicting mental health care and pharmacy costs. The implications of these findings for anticipating costs of care for Persian Gulf War veterans are discussed.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder/economics , Hospitals, Veterans/economics , Persian Gulf Syndrome/economics , Psychophysiologic Disorders/economics , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/economics , Veterans/psychology , Adult , Female , Health Care Costs , Hospitals, Veterans/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Mental Health Services/economics , Mental Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Prospective Studies , United States , United States Department of Veterans Affairs , WashingtonABSTRACT
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its adjudication regulations regarding compensation for disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses suffered by Persian Gulf War veterans. This amendment is necessary to extend the period within which such disabilities must become manifest to a compensable degree in order for entitlement for compensation to be established. The intended effect of this amendment is to ensure that veterans with compensable disabilities due to undiagnosed illnesses that may be related to active service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War may qualify for benefits.
Subject(s)
Persian Gulf Syndrome/economics , United States Department of Veterans Affairs , Veterans Disability Claims/legislation & jurisprudence , Disability Evaluation , Humans , Time Factors , United StatesABSTRACT
This document adopts as a final rule the provisions of an interim final rule which amended the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adjudication regulations regarding compensation for disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses suffered by Persian Gulf Veterans. This amendment is necessary to expand the period within which such disabilities must become manifest to a compensable degree in order for entitlement for compensation to be established. The intended effect of this amendment is to ensure that veterans with compensable disabilities due to undiagnosed illnesses that may be related to active service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War may qualify for benefits.
