VA offers a variety of health care benefits to Gulf War Veterans. 

• Eligibility for Health Care Benefits
• Gulf War Registry Health Exam
• Treatment at VA War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers
• Additional Benefits
• Contact VA about Benefits

Certain spouses and children of Gulf War Veterans may be eligible for health care benefits under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA). 

Eligibility for Health Care Benefits

There are many ways a Veteran may qualify for VA health care benefits.

VA provides priority enrollment for health care to Veterans who have disabilities VA has determined are service-connected, including illnesses related to Gulf War service. Veterans may receive cost-free care and medications for service-connected illnesses.

Find out if you qualify for VA health care.

Apply online to enroll for VA health care. 

Gulf War Registry Health Exam

VA offers a free Gulf War Registry health exam to all Veterans who served in the Gulf during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn.

Veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA health care system to receive the Gulf War Registry health exam.

VA’s Gulf War Registry health exam is a voluntary medical exam to track the special health concerns of Gulf War Veterans. The collected data enables VA to understand and address health problems more effectively.

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Treatment at VA War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers

VA's War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers (WRIISCs) provide clinical expertise for Veterans with deployment health concerns or difficult-to-diagnose illnesses. WRIISCs are in three locations: Washington, DC; East Orange, NJ; and Palo Alto, CA.

For an appointment at a WRIISC, a VA primary care doctor must make a referral. Find out how to get a referral to a WRIISC.

Additional Benefits

Veterans also may be eligible for:

• Disability compensation: Monthly payment for disabilities that VA determines are related to military service
• Other benefits: Home loans, vocational rehabilitation, education, and more

Surviving spouses, dependent children and dependent parents of Gulf War Veterans who died as the result of illnesses related to Gulf War service may be eligible for survivors' benefits.

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Contact VA about Benefits

By Telephone

• Toll-free Helpline: 1-800-749-8387 Press 2
• Health Care and Gulf War Registry Health Exam: 1-877-222-8387 (Ask to speak to the Environmental Health Coordinator or Patient Care Advocate)
• Compensation and Other Benefits: 1-800-827-1000
• TDD (for hearing impaired): 1-800-829-4833

In Person

• Health Care and Gulf War Registry Health Exam: Go to your nearest VA health care facility.
• Compensation Benefits and Other Benefits: Go to your nearest VA benefits office.

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