THE VETERANS' PRESS: Gulf War illnesses linked to Afghanistan service

| June 21, 2022 1:00 AM

If you served in Afghanistan, you may suffer from illnesses or other conditions that we assume are related to service in this region. We call these presumptive diseases. Find out if you can get disability compensation or benefits.

Am I eligible for disability benefits from VA?

You may be eligible for disability benefits if you served in Afghanistan and didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge. Your illness or condition must also meet these requirements.

Both of these must be true of your illness or condition:

• It started while you were on active duty or after Sept. 19, 2001, and

• It resulted in a disability rating of 10% or more

And you must have received a diagnosis of one of the illnesses or conditions listed under one of the time periods below. Read the eligibility requirements related to time of diagnosis.

Eligibility requirements related to time of diagnosis

If your illness or condition was diagnosed within one year of your date of separation

You can get disability benefits for your illness or condition if you have one of these presumptive diseases:

• Brucellosis

• Campylobacter jejuni

• Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)

• Malaria (or sooner in some cases)

• Nontyphoid salmonella

• Shigella

• West Nile virus

If your illness or condition was diagnosed at any time after your date of separation

You can get disability benefits for your illness or condition if you have one of these presumptive diseases:

• Mycobacterium tuberculosis

• Visceral leishmaniasis

What kind of disability benefits can I get?

• Health care

• Compensation (payments)

How do I get these benefits?

You’ll need to file a claim for disability compensation.

Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation: https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/

What if I need help filing my claim?

You can get help from a trained professional trusted to help with VA-related claims.

https://www.va.gov/disability/get-help-filing-claim/

Looking for local help? See the “Resource Directory” section in this publication.