Veterans Affairs Department Launching Five-Year Study Of Gulf War Syndrome

Military Times: Vet Affairs Agency Looking For Volunteers To Study Gulf War Syndrome
Veterans Affairs officials will launch a new five-year study into Gulf War Syndrome in an effort to better define and explain the symptoms for the mysterious illness. It’s a move that veterans groups say is overdue but also potentially beneficial to tens of thousands of Gulf War veterans. As many as 250,000 individuals who served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the early 1990s have reported a series of problems including joint pain, fatigue, rashes, memory issues and digestive problems, with no clear cause. (Shane III, 4/18)

On mental health care for veterans —

Military.com: Caregivers For Severely Disabled Vets Getting Expanded Mental Health Services As Part Of Biden Order 
An executive order signed Tuesday by President Joe Biden will expand mental health services via telehealth for some caregivers of disabled veterans and suggests that the Department of Veterans Affairs broaden veterans' access to its family caregiver program as well as home health services. Under the order, the VA must develop a new pilot program offering telehealth psychotherapy -- therapy provided over the phone -- for caregivers who are enrolled in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, also known as the Family Caregiver Program. (Kime, 4/19)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘No Sense Of Urgency’: Mental Health Calls To Atlanta VA Go Unanswered
In early 2021, the mental health of one Atlanta veteran was deteriorating. She lay awake every night, unable to sleep or stop herself from crying. Through her tears, she picked up the phone and called the Atlanta VA for help. No one answered. (Landergan, 4/20)

In other military news —

Military.com: Army Secretary Says She Wouldn't Want Her Daughters Living In Some Army Barracks 
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told lawmakers Wednesday that a chunk of the service's barracks are seemingly unlivable as senior leaders grapple with living conditions for the rank and file and a relatively small budget to quickly improve standards. "I've seen some barracks quite frankly I wouldn't want my daughters to live in," Wormuth said at a House hearing on the Army's budget. ... Mold problems have been at the center of the Army's barracks issues. Last month, the service conducted a service-wide inspection, finding 2,100 of its facilities have some degree of mold infestation, mostly concentrated in humid climates such as the South and Hawaii. Many of those barracks were poorly constructed, have shoddy ventilation and have half-century-old air conditioning units that are prone to leaking. (Beynon, 4/19)

Military Times: The Marine Corps Is Making Changes To Its Medical Training Requisites
As the Marine Corps prepares for a major future fight that may see small units dispersed and operating in hard-to-reach places, it’s also making changes to its military medical requirements regarding who gets medical training and what level of training various battlefield medical providers receive. The policy updates have to do with tactical combat casualty care, or TCCC, the combat lifesaving program developed by the Defense Health Agency. The first of a trio of changes, published in a July Marine administrative message, requires all Fleet Marine Force and supporting establishment Marines to receive certification in TCCC-All Service Member, the base level of the program, within 12 months of deploying. (Seck, 4/17)

Military Times: Marine Recruit Dies At Boot Camp During Physical Fitness Test
A Marine recruit died Tuesday while conducting a physical fitness test at boot camp in South Carolina, the Marine Corps said. Pfc. Noah Evans, 21, died at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, said Maj. Philip Kulczewski, a spokesman for the depot, in a statement Wednesday. ... Evans is the fourth recruit to die at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the past two years, as the Hilton Head Island Packet first reported. (Loewenson, 4/19)