VA ADJUDICATION OF BENEFITS CLAIMS FILED BY VETERANS OF THE PERSIAN GULF WAR HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION, PENSION AND INSURANCE OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 8, 1993 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Serial No. 103-16 a? U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1-901 c WASHINGTON : 1994 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402 ISBN 0-16-044500-0 PZCOMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS GY. (SONN) DON EDWARDS, California DOUGLAS APPLEGATE, Ohio LANE EVANS, Illinois TIMOTHY J. PENNY, Minnesota J. ROY ROWLAND, Georgia JIM SLATTERY, Kansas JOSEPH P. KENNEDY If, Massachusetts GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Iinois JILL L. LONG, Indiana CHET EDWARDS, Texas MAXINE WATERS, California BOB CLEMENT, Tennessee BOB FILNER, California FRANK TEJEDA, Texas LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois SCOTTY BAESLER, Kentucky SANFORD BISHOP, Georgia JAMES E. CLYBURN, South Carolina MIKE KREIDLER, Washington CORRINE BROWN, Florida ) MONTGOMERY, Mississippi, Chairman BOB STUMP, Arizona CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey DAN BURTON, Indiana MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida THOMAS J, RIDGE, Pennsylvania FLOYD SPENCE, South Carolina TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas TERRY EVERETT, Alabuma STEVE BUYER, Indiana JACK QUINN, New York: SPENCER BACHUS, Alebama JOHN LINDER, Georgia CLIFF STEARNS, Florida PETER T. KING, New York MACK FLEMING, Staff Director and Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION, PENSION AND INSURANCE JIM SLATTERY, Kansas, Chairman DOUGLAS APPLEGATE, Ohio LANE EVANS, Illinois GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Illinois CHET EDWARDS, Texas FRANK TEJEDA, Texas MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida ‘TERRY EVERETT, Alabama CLIFF STEARNS, Florida PETER T. KING, New York an.CONTENTS June 8, 1993 VA Adjudication of Benefits Claims Filed by Veterans of the Persian Gulf far OPENING STATEMENTS Chairman Slattery .. Hon. Michael Bilirakis Hon. Terry Everett Hon. Chet Edwards of Texas Hon. Peter T. King «0.21 WITNESSES Robertaon, Steve A, Director, National Legislative Commission, The Amer- ican Legion .... Prepared statement of Mr. Robertson .... Violante, Joseph A., Legislative Counsel, Disabled American Veterans Prepared statement of Mr. Violante... Vogel, R.J., Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, Department of Veterans fairs; accompanied by Susan H. Mather, M.D., Assistant Chief Medical Director for Environmental Medicine and Public Health; and J. Gary Hick map, Director ofthe Compensation and Pension Service Prepared statement of Mr. V Wall Gary C. New Jersey Wat's Stais’ Council President” and” Chairman, VVA Special Committee on Desert Storm veterans and their Families, Vietnam Veterans of America, accompanied by Paul Egan, Executive Direc- tor, Vietnam Veterans of America .... Prepared statement of Mr. Wall, with attachment MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD Statements: ‘Chemical Sensitivity Alert Committee ... Larrisey, Robert G. : Fleet Reserve Association... Written committee questions and their resp Congressman Evans to Department of Veterans Affairs (un) 16 49 60 83 89 90