By Mike Blais
Veterans Affairs Canada has finally acknowledged Gulf War Illness GWI as a service-related disability and the department has recently provided directions for veterans in respect to submitting a claim application with the department should you feel that you have been affected. Readers will recall the war started thirty five years ago, a distant memory for most who served at the time. Canada deployed air, sea and land forces as a component of the coalition that would ultimately depose Saddam Hussien. The original term, Gulf War Syndrome, has evolved, first to chronic multi-symptom illness or undiagnosed illnesses as evolving scientific analyses justified the emerging numbers of coalition members claiming illnesses. This is a serious issue, for example, over 110 thousand American veterans approached the US Department of Veterans Affairs during the following decade claiming to be affected. How many Canadian personnel affected has yet to be determined but, considering 36-year period wherein their national sacrifice was ignored, I think it is safe to suggest many have passed on to Niner Higher.
VAC has provided a Gulf War Illness checklist, which is available on the VAC website.
Step 1. Application. Online, you can submit your application through a My VAC format, telephoning the 1 866 number or by sending a snail mail requesting the appropriate Gulf WI forms to begin the process. I would encourage veterans to create a My VAC account for processing applications, monitoring the status of the adjudication process and, for existing claims, being aware/requesting supplemental benefits or services applicable to your service-related disability. Your application is recorded each time you open the file, ergo, you can work on your form while you provide pertinent information or respond to the professional requirements associated with the claim. The service also expedites the process by auto filling required bureaucratic fields and ensuring the application document is complete prior to submission. This eliminates obstructive delays incurred by absent information and the requirement for the veteran to provide the missing data before the adjudication process can commence.
Step 2. Once the application requirements have been successfully attained, the department will send you a package containing the appropriate medical questionnaire required to adjudicate your claim and, if approved, decide the percentage of the disability. Take your time, undertake due diligence, prepare accordingly and be comprehensive. Write out your responses in rough and once you are satisfied you have noted all aspects the disability has impacted your quality of life, fill out the forms requiring your information. You will have to bring a questionnaire to your health care provider. On that level, I would suggest that you create a short biography defining the relevant period of your service, your duties while in theatre and the adversely chronic symptoms you have been consequently experiencing. It is important to “set the Scene”, many health care practitioners were yet to be born when the Gulf War occurred, and it is unrealistic to expect them to be aware of the situation. By providing documentary evidence in respect to your duties and the service-related exposures you endured at the time, your doctor will have a strong reference when he ultimately responds and submits the questionnaire.
Step 3. The review process. This is the period wherein the adjudicator collates the various streams of submitted information and undertakes a review. They will ensure that the information provided by you and your health care providers is pertinent to your claim. They will request your service records and verify the dates of your in-theatre deployment in respect to geographic qualifications and proceed to the next step once they decide there is evidence of a chronic or permanent disability.
A disability adjudicator will render a decision on two factors. The Entitlement Factor is established by directly attributing the disability to Gulf War service. Should the connection be established, an assessment will then be rendered in respect to severity of the disability and the impact it has borne on the quality of your life. Remember Quality of Life impact when completing your forms and ensure the information required to “connect the dots” is provided.
Step 4. Communication and decision. Often, there may be a degree of comms between yourself and the VAC rep as the claim is processed. More often than not, it is a matter of clarification or the provision or additional information related to the application. Due diligence and an awareness of what is required on your behalf during the initial application process will expedite the process so be prepared. Finally, a decision will be approved or denied, and you will be notified through post or your My Vac account. The letter will briefly outline the reasoning behind the decision. Information in respect to your appeal rights will also be provided should the claim be denied or you feel the disability percentage awarded does not accurately reflect the level of your national sacrifice.
Blazer
