Who qualifies for these benefits?
Veterans who served in the following locations, including the airspace above them, from August 2, 1990:
- Iraq
- Kuwait
- Saudi Arabia
- the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- the United Arab Emirates
- Oman
- the Gulf of Aden
- the Gulf of Oman
- the Persian Gulf
- the Arabian Sea
- the Red Sea
Veterans who served in the following location, including the airspace above, from September 19, 2001:
- Afghanistan
What are the presumptive disabilities under this law?
- Brucellosis.
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)
- Malaria
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Nontyphoid Salmonella
- Shigella.
- Visceral leishmaniasis
- West Nile virus
The diseases listed above must have become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within 1 year from the date of separation from a qualifying period of service, except for the following:
- Malaria must have become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within 1 year from the date of separation from a qualifying period of service or at a time when standard or accepted treatises indicate that the incubation period began during a qualifying period of service
- There is no time limit for visceral leishmaniasis or tuberculosis to have become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more.
Are these disabilities presumptive?
Yes, the infectious diseases listed above are considered presumptive disabilities.
Meaning, if you are diagnosed with any of the infectious diseases shown above and you have qualifying service as shown above, then VA will presume that your disability is caused by your service.
Important links, regulations and case law
Complete list of recognized Gulf War and Southwest Asia locations for Presumptive Conditions
