WASHINGTON (Sept.
23, 2008) - Veterans with amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS) may receive
badly-needed support for themselves and
their families after the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced
today that ALS will become a
presumptively compensable illness for all
veterans with 90 days or more of
continuously active service in the
military.
"Veterans are developing ALS in
rates higher than the general
population, and it was
appropriate to take action," Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Dr. James B.
Peake said.
Secretary Peake based his
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.
"We are extremely grateful to
Secretary Peake, Congressman Henry Brown
and Senator Lindsey Graham for
standing on the side of veterans with ALS
across the country," said Gary
Leo, president and CEO of The ALS
Association. "Thanks to their
leadership, veterans with ALS will receive
the benefits and care they need,
when they need them. Thanks to their
efforts, no veteran with ALS
will ever be left behind."
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," the
Secretary explained. "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.
ALS 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.
To view the entire regulation
published in the Federal Register today,
