Lou Gehrig's Disease: Now Presumptively Compensable
from the Vietnam Veterans of America Talklist via email from Sarge Mike Gale
Veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may receive needed
support for themselves and their families after the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) announced last month that ALS will become a
presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90 days or more
of continuously active service in the military. VA based its decision
primarily on a November 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences'
Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the association between active-duty
service and ALS.
The report, titled Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review of
the Scientific Literature, analyzed numerous previous studies on the
issue and concluded that "there is limited and suggestive evidence of an
association between military service and later development of ALS."
"ALS is a disease that progresses rapidly, once it is diagnosed,"
explained VA Secretary Dr. James Peake in a statement. "There simply
isn't time to develop the evidence needed to support compensation claims
before many veterans become seriously ill. My decision will make those
claims much easier to process, and for them and their families to
receive the compensation they have earned through their service to our
nation."
ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neuromuscular disease that
affects about 20,000 to 30,000 people of all races and ethnicities in
the United States, is often relentlessly progressive, and is almost
always fatal. The disease causes degeneration of nerve cells in the
brain and spinal cord that leads to muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and
spontaneous muscle activity. Currently, the cause of ALS is unknown, and
there is no effective treatment.
The new interim final regulation applies to all applications for
benefits received by VA on or after September 23, 2008, or that are
pending before VA, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans
Claims, or the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on
that date. VA will work to identify and contact veterans with ALS,
including those whose claims for ALS were previously denied, through
direct mailings and other outreach programs.
For more info on ALS go to the MDS/ALS Newsmagazine
