Sec. 102. FINDINGS
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## SEC. 102 FINDINGS **[**[38 U.S.C. 1117 note](/us/usc/t38/s1117)**]** The Congress makes the following findings: ####
(1)During the Persian Gulf War, members of the Armed Forces were exposed to numerous potentially toxic substances, including fumes and smoke from military operations, oil well fires, diesel exhaust, paints, pesticides, depleted uranium, infectious agents, investigational drugs and vaccines, and indigenous diseases, and were also given multiple immunizations. It is not known whether these servicemembers were exposed to chemical or biological warfare agents. However, threats of enemy use of chemical and biological warfare heightened the psychological stress associated with the military operation. ####
(2)Significant numbers of veterans of the Persian Gulf War are suffering from illnesses, or are exhibiting symptoms of illness, that cannot now be diagnosed or clearly defined. As a result, many of these conditions or illnesses are not considered to be service connected under current law for purposes of benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. ####
(3)The National Institutes of Health Technology Assessment Workshop on the Persian Gulf Experience and Health, held in April 1994, concluded that the complex biological, chemical, physical, and psychological environment of the Southwest Asia theater of operations produced complex adverse health effects in Persian Gulf War veterans and that no single disease entity or syndrome is apparent. Rather, it may be that the illnesses suffered by those veterans result from multiple illnesses with overlapping symptoms and causes that have yet to be defined. ####
(4)That workshop concluded that the information concerning the range and intensity of exposure to toxic substances by military personnel in the Southwest Asia theater of operations is very limited and that such information was collected only after a considerable delay. ####
(5)In response to concerns regarding the health-care needs of Persian Gulf War veterans, particularly those who suffer from illnesses or conditions for which no diagnosis has been made, the Congress, in Public Law 102–585, directed the establishment of a Persian Gulf War Veterans Health Registry, authorized health examinations for veterans of the Persian Gulf War, and provided for the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of information regarding the health consequences of military service in the Persian Gulf theater of operations and to develop recommendations on avenues for research regarding such health consequences. In Public Law 103–210, the Congress authorized the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide health care services on a priority basis to Persian Gulf War veterans. The Congress also provided in Public Law 103–160 (the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994) for the establishment of a specialized environmental medical facility for the conduct of research into the possible health effects of exposure to low levels of hazardous chemicals, especially among Persian Gulf veterans, and for research into the possible health effects of battlefield exposure in such veterans to depleted uranium. ####
(6)In response to concerns about the lack of objective research on Gulf War illnesses, Congress included research provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995, which was passed by the House and Senate in September 1994. This legislation requires the Secretary of Defense to provide research grants to non-Federal researchers to support three types of studies of the Gulf War syndrome. The first type of study will be an epidemiological study or studies of the incidence, prevalence, and nature of the illness and symptoms and the risk factors associated with symptoms or illnesses. This will include illnesses among spouses and birth defects and illnesses among offspring born before and after the Gulf War. The second group of studies shall be conducted to determine the health consequences of the use of pyridostigmine bromide as a pretreatment antidote enhancer during the Persian Gulf War, alone or in combination with exposure to pesticides, environmental toxins, and other hazardous substances. The final group of studies shall include clinical research and other studies on the causes, possible transmission, and treatment of Gulf War syndrome, and will include studies of veterans and their spouses and children. ####
(7)Further research and studies must be undertaken to determine the underlying causes of the illnesses suffered by Persian Gulf War veterans and, pending the outcome of such research, veterans who are seriously ill as the result of such illnesses should be given the benefit of the doubt and be provided compensation benefits to offset the impairment in earnings capacities they may be experiencing.
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- Pub. L. 102-585
- Pub. L. 103-210
- Pub. L. 103-160
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