Under the procedures that VA established to process undiagnosed illness claims, veterans submit completed claim forms to a VA regional office (VARO). Under the regulation, veterans must provide objective indications of a chronic disability. In the final rule, VA explained that nonmedical indicators of a disabling illness include but are not limited to such circumstances or events as (1) time lost from work; (2) evidence that a veteran has sought medical treatment for his or her symptoms; and (3) evidence affirming changes in the veteran’s appearance, physical abilities, or mental or emotional attitude. The denied claims that we reviewed contained primarily service medical records and VA medical examinations. VA has developed a letter that clearly states the types of medical and nonmedical evidence that can be used to support these claims. According to VA, most claims are denied because the claimed disability did not become manifest on active duty in the Persian Gulf or during the 2-year presumptive period.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the procedures the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses to process Persian Gulf War undiagnosed illness claims.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) before VA will provide benefits, veterans must provide it with evidence of a chronic disability and verifiable evidence of time lost from work, prior medical treatment, or changes in appearance, physical abilities, or psychological condition; (2) both denied and approved claims consist primarily of service medical records and VA medical examinations, but approved claims usually include an independent medical history and sometimes include nonmedical evidence; (3) denied claims lacked sufficient evidence because of poor VA procedures and veterans' failure to collect relevant information; and (4) while VA reports that most denied claims were denied because the alleged disability did not become evident during active duty or the subsequent 2-year presumptive period, it stated in denial letters to veterans that their claims lacked sufficient evidence.