As a part of a long-term health study, at the end of this month, the VA will be contacting the first Gulf War Veterans for the third time since the end of that conflict.
Says Secretary Shinseki, “Our message to our Gulf War Veterans is clear: We are not forgetting you, we are listening to you, and we are acting. This Gulf War follow-up study provides an important long-term look at how Gulf War Veterans are faring, and will provide essential data to guide the care of these Veterans.”
Researchers are trying to learn whether the overall health of these Veterans has changed over time, and about the natural history of long-term conditions like unexplained multi-symptom illnesses.
This continuing VA effort studies a group of approximately 15,000 Gulf War Veterans and 15,000 Veterans who served elsewhere during the Gulf War. The study group includes all branches of service, representing active, Reserve, and National Guard members. Women are being oversampled to make sure they are represented, making up 20 percent of the study sample. Veterans will respond via a paper or online survey, and researchers will also review medical records from a sample of study participants.