Helminthiasis

VA offers health and other benefits for U.S. veterans who were forcibly detained during a war or if their internment was "comparable to wartime." However, current law requires that POWs be held for at least 30 days to qualify for full POW benefits. Therefore, U.S. troops who were detained for less than 30 days in places like Somalia, Kosovo and Iraq would not qualify.

In July, VA Secretary Anthony Principi announced the Bush Administration has proposed legislation (H.R. 348) to eliminate the 30-day requirement. Principi noted that the bill also would improve dental-care eligibility and exempt former POWs from copayments for nonservice-connected conditions.

As of Jan. 1, 2003, VA counted slightly more than 39,000 surviving former POWs. Some 93% served in World War II.

POWs Get Priority Health Care

Former POWs:

* receive priority (Category 3) treatment for VA health care;

* with service connected disabilities are eligible for hospital, nursing home and outpatient treatment;

* without service-connected disabilities are eligible for VA hospital, nursing home and outpatient care--second only to veterans with service-connected disabilities;

* undergoing outpatient treatment are eligible for necessary medicines, glasses, hearing aids or prostheses;

* who were held 90 days or more are eligible for all needed dental care; and

* who were held less than 90 days should check with their nearest VA medical facility to determine eligibility for dental care.

Ailments Caused by Captivity

There are eight categories of diseases that VA presumes were caused by POWs internment. Former POWs pursuing a VA disability claim for the conditions are required to take a POW protocol examination at a VA medical facility. The categories are:

* Nutritional, such as avitaminosis (lack of vitamins), beriberi or malnutrition;

* Helminthiasis, diseases caused by any type of parasitic worm;

* Neuro-psychiatric, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);

* Gastrointestinal disabilities, such as chronic dysentery;

* Cold injuries, such as frostbite;

* Traumatic arthritis, caused by severe trauma to specific joints;

* Peripheral neuropathy, characterized by numbness and tingling in the extremities caused by nutritional deficiency; and

* Ischemic heart disease, or narrowing of the arteries, is presumed to be related to military service if the veteran indicates a swelling of the legs during captivity or during the POW protocol exam.

Survivor Benefits Available, Too

Surviving spouses of former POWs qualify for Dependency, and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) if the veteran died after Sept. 30, 1999, and was continuously rated totally disabled for a service-connected condition for at least one year immediately before death. DIC ends if the surviving spouse remarries.

Former POWs and their surviving spouses may be entitled to other benefits such as disability or death pensions, loans, insurance or burial benefits. For specific cases, contact VA.

Gulf War POWs Seek Millions

A judge ordered July 18 that more than $650 million sought by Persian Gulf War veterans be set aside from Iraqi assets frozen since the 1991 war. The 17 former POWs from the Gulf War sued Iraq in April 2002 for inhumane treatment and torture during the captivity.

U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts awarded the former POWs $653 million in compensatory damages and $306 million in punitive damages earlier in July and then ordered a temporary restraining order after hearing arguments from the former POWs and government attorneys. Justice Department lawyers told Roberts on July 29 that the money should be used to rebuild Iraq rather than compensate the former POWs.

POW Medal Rewards Honorable Service

The Prisoner of War Medal was created by Public Law 99-145 in 1985. Any U.S. veteran who has been taken prisoner and held captive since April 5, 1917, qualifies.

Obviously, this includes full-scale wars such as World War II, Korea and Vietnam, but it also applies to smaller conflicts such as Kosovo, Somalia and now Iraq.

However, veterans must serve honorably while in captivity. This means that veterans who collaborate with the enemy are ineligible.

VFW members interested in obtaining the POW Medal should contact their Department service officer for help. They also can send a personal letter or DD-Form 2510 (POW medal application) to:

Commander

ARPERCEN

Attn: DARP-VSE-A

9700 Page Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63132-5200

VA Offers Service and Benefits

For more information about VA benefits and services for former POWs, call toll-free 1-800-827-1000, TDD 1-800-829-4833. Former POW coordinators are located at each VA regional office and can provide further assistance. Online information can be accessed at www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/benefits/POW/index.htm.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group