Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Gulf War era have special presumptions for disabilities related to that service. These presumptions cover undiagnosed illnesses and medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses that appeared during or after service in the region. An undiagnosed illness is a condition that produces symptoms but cannot be attributed to a known clinical diagnosis. Common symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, headaches, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems, and cognitive difficulties. If you have objective indicators of a chronic disability that cannot be attributed to a known diagnosis, you may be eligible for presumptive service connection. Medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses include conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and functional gastrointestinal disorders. These conditions have recognized diagnoses but their causes are not fully understood. VA recognizes a connection between these conditions and service in the Southwest Asia theater. The qualifying service period and geographic areas have expanded over time and now include service in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and other locations. To qualify, your condition must have manifested to a degree of 10 percent or more. If you served in these regions and have unexplained health problems, file a claim even if your doctors cannot give you a specific diagnosis.
An important change made by the PACT Act is the removal of the sunset date for Gulf War presumptive claims. Previously, there was a deadline by which symptoms of undiagnosed illness or chronic multisymptom illness had to manifest in order to qualify for presumptive service connection. That deadline has been eliminated. Gulf War veterans can now file presumptive claims regardless of when their symptoms first appeared, with no expiration date on eligibility.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).