VA secretary establishes ALS as a compensable illness

  • Published
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," soon may receive badly needed support for themselves and their families. The Department of Veterans Affairs secretary announced recently that ALS will become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90 days or more of continuously active military service.

"Veterans are developing ALS in rates higher than the general population, and it was appropriate to take action," said Dr. James B. Peake, VA secretary.

Secretary Peake based his decision primarily on a November 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine on the association between active-duty service and ALS.

Titled "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review of the Scientific Literature," the report 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 is a neuromuscular disease that affects about 20,000 to 30,000 people of all races and ethnicities in the United States.  It is often relentlessly progressive and is almost always fatal.

ALS causes degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord which 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 representatives on or after Sept. 23, or that are pending before VA, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims or the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on that date.

VA officials 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.

Comment on this story   (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page