Fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by chronic widespread pain often with other symptoms, is "presumptive" for the purposes of VA service-connected disability claims for veterans with Persian Gulf service anytime since Aug. 2, 1990.  

***


SOURCE: MPR
http://www.empr.com/low-dose-naltrexone-decreases-anxiety-pain-in-patients-with-fibromyalgia/article/318388/

Da Hee Han, PharmD

October 29, 2013

Low-Dose Naltrexone Decreases Anxiety, Pain, in Patients with Fibromyalgia

SAN DIEGO, CA—Low-dose naltrexone may be an effective, highly tolerable, and inexpensive treatment for patients with fibromyalgia, according to results of a prospective, open-label study presented at the 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting.

Fibromyalgia has been classified as a “central sensitivity syndrome” mediated by centrally acting proinflammatory cytokine activity, which can cause symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Noting that a significant number of patients with fibromyalgia do not respond adequately to currently available therapies, Samy Metyas, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, and colleagues administered naltrexone 3mg at nighttime to 25 patients—24 females and 1 male—diagnosed with fibromyalgia based on American College of Rheumatology criteria. The dose could be titrated to a maximum of 4.5mg. Patients were permitted to continue pregabalin, milnacipran, or duloxetine.

Primary outcome measure was the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) at Month 3; adverse reactions were also recorded.

Of the 22 patients completing the study, 7 (32%) remained on naltrexone monotherapy throughout the study. At Month 3, a 19.5% overall improvement in FIQR was reported. Eleven patients (50%) had an average of a 41% improvement in FIQR.

“The patients reported decreases in anxiety, pain, and sleeping habits from baseline,” Dr. Metyas noted.

Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist used to treat alcohol and opioid dependence. They hypothesized that low-dose naltrexone—an opioid-receptor antagonist used to treat alcohol and opioid dependence—“causes transient blockade of opioid receptors centrally, resulting in a rebound of endorphin function which may attenuate pain in fibromyalgia.”

Further randomized controlled trials and larger studies are needed to further assess the efficacy of naltrexone in fibromyalgia, the investigators concluded.

Las Vegas Metro to Pay $1.5M in Police Killing of Disabled Gulf War Veteran

Source:  8 News Now, Las Vegas
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/23807820/breaking-news

Las Vegas Metro to Pay $1.5M in Deadly Shooting of Gulf War Veteran

Posted: Oct 28, 2013 1:15 PM EDTUpdated: Oct 28, 2013 7:04 PM EDT

By Caroline Bleakley, Online Managing Editor - email

By Lauren Rozyla, Reporter - bio | email

By Kash Cashell, Photojournalist - email

LAS VEGAS -- The wife of Gulf War veteran Stanley Gibson was awarded a $1.5 million settlement for the officer-involved shooting death of her husband.

[Las Vegas] Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee approved the settlement Monday morning. Rondha Gibson said she will use the money to buy a home and start a foundation in her husband's name.

"He'll always be a brave man and I won't ever see him as anything else," Rondha said.

Gibson, who was unarmed, was shot to death by a Metro Police officer in Dec. 2011. The officer, Jesus Arevalo, was fired from Metro in early October.

Gibson who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and cancer accidentally drove into the wrong apartment complex near his home. He was lost and became confused as he drove around the parking lot. Police were called about a suspicious vehicle and confronted Gibson. The situation turned into a standoff and Gibson refused to exit his vehicle. Poor radio communication and a mistaken police plan resulted in Gibson being shot four times. Police were supposed to use a non-lethal bean bag to get Gibson out of his car, but officer Arevalo used an high-powered rifle and fired on Gibson.

Rondha can easily find the bullet holes in the jacket her husband was wearing that night. The jacket was retrieved after nearly two years in Metro's evidence file.

Cal Potter, Gibson's attorney, said both parties struggled to come up with the $1.5 million settlement figure.

"Metro thinks they paid too much and we don't think they paid enough. But it is a situation where the parties have agreed at this point in time," Potter said.

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said the settlement worked best for the city, the county and Metro.

"It was recommended by our attorney and he says it's in the best interests of our department in terms of our exposure and liability," Sisolak said.

 While the money will help Rondha honor her husband, she said, it will not make the pain of his loss go away.

"There's no amount of money you can take that you can put on a human head. I mean, Stan made every single day worth a million dollars to me."

Stanley Gibson's mother still has a pending case against Metro that has not been resolved.

VA Implementing Dental Insurance Plan

SOURCE:  VA

http://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/vadip/

According to a VA announcement:

VA is implementing a comprehensive national VA Dental Insurance Program (VADIP) to give enrolled Veterans and CHAMPVAbeneficiaries the opportunity to purchase dental insurance through Delta Dental and MetLife at a reduced cost. Participation is voluntary. 

Purchasing a dental plan does not affect Veterans’ eligibility for VA dental services and treatment. VADIP opens November 15 for the purchasing of plans, with coverage beginning January 1, 2014. 

Covered services include diagnostic, preventative, surgical, emergency and endodontic/restorative treatment. Delta Dental and MetLife are offering multiple plans. Each participant pays the fixed monthly premiums for coverage and any copayments required, depending on the type of plan selected. 

Dependents of Veterans, except those eligible under CHAMPVA, are not authorized to participate in VADIP. Those individuals may be eligible for separate dental insurance coverage offered by these carriers. 

For more information about VADIP, explore our Fact Sheet or our Frequently Asked Questions brochure.

Brainstem Dysfunction Found in Fibromyalgia

Written by Anthony Hardie, 91outcomes.com 

(91outcomes.com - Oct. 17, 2013) - New medical research from Austria suggests functional changes in the brain at the brainstem level in fibromyalgia, a disease characterized by chronic widespread pain and an array of additional potential symptoms.

The brainstem regulates the central nervous system, including heart rate, breathing, sleep, digestion, pain sensation, and temperature regulation.  The brainstem includes the midbrain, medulla oblongata, and the pons.  

Fibromyalgia is a "presumptive" condition  for the purposes of VA service-connected disability claims.for veterans with Persian Gulf War service (between Aug. 2, 1990 and the present).

See the journal article abstract here:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24064248

SOURCE:  SCIENCE DAILY

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131015191409.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmind_brain%2Fmemory+(ScienceDaily%3A+Mind+%26+Brain+News+--+Memory)

Veterans With Gulf War Illness Show Brain Changes Linked to Memory Deficits

Oct. 15, 2013 — New research illuminates definitive brain alterations in troops with Gulf War Illness (GWI) thought to result from the exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, including sarin gas, during the first Persian Gulf War.

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"More than 250,000 troops, or approximately 25% of those deployed during the first Persian Gulf War, have been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness (GWI). Although medical professionals have recognized the chronic and often disabling illness for almost two decades, brain changes that uniquely identify GWI have been elusive until now," explained researcher Bart Rypma, principal investigator at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas.

This study, published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, is novel in that it confirms GWI deficits in working memory, a critical cognitive function that enables short-term retention of information for higher-level thinking ability.

In addition, brain alterations revealed in the study show a consistent pattern representing a neurobiological marker that could potentially be used to positively identify GWI.

The research team assessed three aspects of working memory: accuracy, speed, and efficiency. Results showed that participants with GWI performed significantly slower and less accurately than matched healthy veterans, and their efficiency decreased with increasing task difficulty.

During these difficult conditions, the participants showed relatively lower levels of activity in prefrontal brain regions which may compromise their ability to implement effective, higher-level thinking strategies in cognitively demanding situations.

"Our results revealed that at the root of cognitive issues in GWI patients are profound working memory deficits that correlate with a unique brain change visible in the fMRI scanner. These results support an empirical link between exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, specifically sarin nerve gas, and cognitive deficits and neurobiological changes in the brain," said Rypma. "Implementing interventions that improve working memory could have positive effects on many aspects of daily life from the ability to complete a shopping list, match names with faces, all the way to elevating mood."

"Difficulty remembering has been the most common, unexplained impairment resulting from service in the 1991 Persian Gulf War," said Robert Haley, co-investigator and Chief of Epidemiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "This functional MRI study provides the first objective evidence showing the exact malfunctions in the brain's memory circuits that underlie these chemically induced memory problems."

The new findings may also have implications for the treatment of several disorders involving similar neural systems, including one Alzheimer's disease.

"Both GWI and Alzheimer's disease result in profound cognitive impairment and share similar neurochemical underpinnings," explained the study's lead author Nicholas Hubbard. "The distinct neural markers associated with cognitive performance and GWI revealed in our study can be useful for future research to objectively measure the efficacy of treatments for GWI as well as other brain disorders related to the same neurotransmitter system, like Alzheimer's disease."

New Research Links Fibromyalgia to Altered Heat Regulation, Sensory Nerve Fibers

Fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by chronic widespread pain and a potential array of other symptoms, is presumptive for veterans with Persian Gulf War service (between Aug. 2, 1990 and the present)  for the purposes of VA service-connected disability claims.

-A.H.

***

SOURCE:   Integrated Tissue Dynamics LLC (Intidyn)

http://www.intidyn.com/Newsroom/Fibromyalgia%20Pathology%20for%20lay%20people%202013-06-24.pdf

Scientists at Integrated Tissue Dynamics LLC (Intidyn) and Albany Medical College (AMC) have made a major discovery that should provide a more certain diagnosis of fibromyalgia, significant insight into the source and symptoms of the disease, and new strategies for its prevention and treatment. The discovery has been published in the June issue of the journal Pain Medicine (the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine) where it was featured on the cover and accompanied by a laudatory editorial by Robert Gerwin, MD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  

What the team uncovered was an enormous increase in sensory nerve fibers at specific sites within the blood vessels of the skin in the palms of the hands. These critical sites are tiny muscular valves, called arteriole-venule (AV) shunts, which form a direct connection between arterioles and venules. The discovered pathology involving the nerve endings to the shunts provides a logical explanation not only for extreme tenderness in the hands, but also for the widespread deep pain and fatigue symptomatic of fibromyalgia. 

Read the full article here.

And, according to the full journal publication by Dr. Phillip Albrecht et al:

The excessive sensory innervation to the glabrous skin AVS is a likely source of severe pain and tenderness in the hands of FM patients. Importantly, glabrous AVS regulate blood flow to the skin in humans for thermoregulation and to other tissues such as skeletal muscle during periods of increased metabolic demand. 

Therefore, blood flow dysregulation as a result of excessive innervation to AVS would likely contribute to the widespread deep pain and fatigue of FM. SNRI compounds may provide partial therapeutic benefit by enhancing the impact of sympathetically mediated inhibitory modulation of the excess sensory innervation.

Read the full journal article:  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pme.12139/abstract

Albrecht, P. J., Hou, Q., Argoff, C. E., Storey, J. R., Wymer, J. P. and Rice, F. L. (2013), Excessive Peptidergic Sensory Innervation of Cutaneous Arteriole–Venule Shunts (AVS) in the Palmar Glabrous Skin of Fibromyalgia Patients: Implications for Widespread Deep Tissue Pain and Fatigue. Pain Medicine, 14: 895–915. doi: 10.1111/pme.12139

1. The authors each declare no conflicts of interest associated with this research.
2. Correction made after online publication May 20, 2013: the author affiliations have been updated.

   
   

Las Vegas Officer Fired over Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Gulf War Vet

SOURCE: Reason.com
http://reason.com/24-7/2013/10/17/las-vegas-officer-fired-over-fatal-shoot

Las Vegas Officer Fired over Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Gulf War Vet

October 17, 2013

For the first time in Las Vegas police history, an officer has been fired for an on-duty police shooting.

But it’s unclear if former officer Jesus Arevalo, who shot and killed unarmed Gulf War veteran Stanley Gibson in 2011, is done with the department. He has 30 days to appeal his firing, which was effective Tuesday.

Chris Collins, executive director of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, said he isn’t certain if Arevalo will appeal. If he does, an outside arbitrator will make the final decision about his job.

“Time is beating him up pretty good,” Collins said. “He’s been living this thing for two years now. I don’t know if he’s got any fight left in him.”

Texas Study Shows GWI Brain Changes Linked to Memory Deficits, Sarin

The study below is part of the collection of studies led by Dr. Robert Haley, one of Gulf War veterans' leading medical researcher champions.  

Haley's groundbreaking Gulf War Illness research was cancelled mid-stream by anti-veteran VA leadership and replaced with... the purchase of some new medical equipment and a massive GWI research budget cut.  

Today, VA remains without any clear direction not only in solving Gulf War Illness, but even in getting closer to developing effective GWI treatments.  

"...at the root of cognitive issues in GWI patients are profound working memory deficits that correlate with a unique brain change visible in the fMRI scanner. These results support an empirical link between exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, specifically sarin nerve gas, and cognitive deficits and neurobiological changes in the brain."  

“Implementing interventions that improve working memory could have positive effects on many aspects of daily life from the ability to complete a shopping list, match names with faces, all the way to elevating mood.”

Had the entire package of Haley's research been allowed to continue, perhaps we would be much closer not just to more revealing answers, but to real treatment as suggested by the study author above.

Gulf War veterans can only hope that one day there will be leadership at VA that is compassionate and cogent enough to fix what is currently very badly broken in environmental exposure treatment research.

-A.H.


***
SOURCE:  APS.org
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/veterans-with-gulf-war-illness-show-brain-changes-linked-to-memory-deficits.html

PRESS RELEASE

October 15, 2013 
For Immediate Release

Contact: Anna Mikulak
Association for Psychological Science
202.293.9300
amikulak@psychologicalscience.org

Veterans With Gulf War Illness Show Brain Changes Linked to Memory Deficits

Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Brain, Clinical Psychological Science, fMRI, Memory, Neuroscience, War

New research illuminates definitive brain alterations in troops with Gulf War Illness (GWI) thought to result from the exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, including sarin gas, during the first Persian Gulf War.

“More than 250,000 troops, or approximately 25% of those deployed during the first Persian Gulf War, have been diagnosed with Gulf War Illness (GWI). Although medical professionals have recognized the chronic and often disabling illness for almost two decades, brain changes that uniquely identify GWI have been elusive until now,” explained researcher Bart Rypma, principal investigator at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas.

This study, published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, is novel in that it confirms GWI deficits in working memory, a critical cognitive function that enables short-term retention of information for higher-level thinking ability.

In addition, brain alterations revealed in the study show a consistent pattern representing a neurobiological marker that could potentially be used to positively identify GWI.

The research team assessed three aspects of working memory: accuracy, speed, and efficiency. Results showed that participants with GWI performed significantly slower and less accurately than matched healthy veterans, and their efficiency decreased with increasing task difficulty.

During these difficult conditions, the participants showed relatively lower levels of activity in prefrontal brain regions which may compromise their ability to implement effective, higher-level thinking strategies in cognitively demanding situations.

“Our results revealed that at the root of cognitive issues in GWI patients are profound working memory deficits that correlate with a unique brain change visible in the fMRI scanner. These results support an empirical link between exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, specifically sarin nerve gas, and cognitive deficits and neurobiological changes in the brain,” said Rypma. “Implementing interventions that improve working memory could have positive effects on many aspects of daily life from the ability to complete a shopping list, match names with faces, all the way to elevating mood.”

“Difficulty remembering has been the most common, unexplained impairment resulting from service in the 1991 Persian Gulf War,” said Robert Haley, co-investigator and Chief of Epidemiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “This functional MRI study provides the first objective evidence showing the exact malfunctions in the brain’s memory circuits that underlie these chemically induced memory problems.”

The new findings may also have implications for the treatment of several disorders involving similar neural systems, including one Alzheimer’s disease.

“Both GWI and Alzheimer’s disease result in profound cognitive impairment and share similar neurochemical underpinnings,” explained the study’s lead author Nicholas Hubbard. “The distinct neural markers associated with cognitive performance and GWI revealed in our study can be useful for future research to objectively measure the efficacy of treatments for GWI as well as other brain disorders related to the same neurotransmitter system, like Alzheimer’s disease.”

###

For more information about this study, please contact:
Shelly Kirkland at shelly.kirkland@utdallas.edu,  972-883-3221 (office) or 214-676-1223 (mobile)

The article abstract can be found online.

Additional co-authors include: Joanna L. Hutchison and Michael A. Motes of The University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; and Ehsan Shokri-Kojori, Ilana J. Bennett, and Ryan M. Brigante of The University of Texas at Dallas.

This work was supported by the Friends of Brain Health research endowment (to N. A. Hubbard), the Department of Veterans Affairs (Grant VA549-P-0027 to R. W. Haley), and the National Institutes of Health (Grant 1R01AG029523 to B. Rypma).

Clinical Psychological Science is APS's newest journal. For a copy of the article "Central Executive Dysfunction and Deferred Prefrontal Processing in Veterans With Gulf War Illness" and access to other Clinical Psychological Science research findings, please contact Anna Mikulak at 202-293-9300 oramikulak@psychologicalscience.org.

As Government Shutdown's Impact on Veterans Grows, VSO's React Angrily

Written by Anthony Hardie, 91outcomes.com

(91outcomes.com - Oct. 10, 2013) - As the government shutdown continues well into its second week, anger kindling among the nation's largest veterans service organizations has burst into flame.

A pointed letter yesterday from the Veterans of Foreign Wars says its nearly 2 million members are "disgusted with the partisan bickering and government paralysis".  William Thien, VFW's national commander, expressed anger that there are now, "56 closed Department of Veterans Affairs regional offices, 7,000 furloughed employees, and more than 4 million disabled veterans and survivors who were told next month’s disability or survivor benefits check will be delayed."  

An earlier, Oct. 3 VFW letter decries, "a piecemeal approach that would use the military or disabled veterans as leverage in a political game."  

A similarly pointed letter letter yesterday from the Disabled American Veterans, the nation's largest organization of service-disabled military veterans, pulls no punches.   DAV National Commander Joe Johnston takes no sides, simply expressing to the President and both Houses of Congress DAV's, "rising outrage," that there is even the, "threat of default," on veterans' disability and related payments.  Johnston noted these are often the "primary or only source of income" for the nation's wounded warriors.  

Johnston also used the opportunity to call for advance appropriations for all VA programs.  While most other VA benefits are at risk of being shut down this month or are already shut down, VA's healthcare services remain in operation because DAV and other national veterans service organizations have succeeded in recent years in forcing Congress to enact appropriations at least a year in advance.  

As a tactic, all of the "Big 3" VSO's have chosen to address their concerns addressed jointly and equally to the President and the leaders of both Houses of Congress, refusing at least publicly to take sides in the shutdown showdown.  

News reports of recent national surveys show that the public blames all sides for the shutdown, though House Republicans are faring the worst.    

An Oct. 4th Fox News story insightfully notes that tactics by large national veterans groups like the American Legion to equally blame all sides may have the effect of lengthening the crisis: "But the effort to stay neutral may also have lessened the pressure to reach an agreement."

However, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), which now boasts 270,000 members and supporters, was more direct yesterday in Congressional testimony before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, laying the blame squarely on Congress.  "Veterans are hurting during the shutdown. They need the shutdown to end so they can receive and benefit from the services and support they have earned. But until Congress can re-open the government, our veterans deserve clear, reliable, and accurate information."

Only time will tell which political party wins or loses more in this "disgusting" failure amidst "rising outrage" from disabled and other veterans.  But VA Secretary Eric Shinseki made it clear during his  testimony yesterday that nearly all VA benefits programs not already closed, excluding VA healthcare services, will be shuttered within the coming weeks if a solution is not found -- meaning veterans are already the clear losers no matter which political party later claims victory.

 ***

DAV: Time to Put Veterans Funding First

SOURCE:  DAV

 http://standup4vets.org

Stand Up for Veterans Update		More Info
October 9, 2013
Congress Blog: Time to Put Veterans Funding First In The Hill's Congress Blog, DAV’s Washington Executive Director Garry Augustine says that the current government shutdown, and the harmful effect it is having on veterans, “…is outrageous and unacceptable; worse it was predictable and preventable.” He points out that VA medical care programs are currently protected from budget battles thanks to the enactment of advance appropriations several years ago. “Given the demonstrated success of advance appropriations for health care programs, and the continuing budget stalemates, Congress should vote to extend advance appropriations to all VA discretionary and mandatory programs,” Augustine concludes. VSOs Continue Assisting Veterans With Claims Despite Shutdown Although VA has not released details about whether, when, or how VA regional offices will be closed to the public when carryover funding runs out as early as next week, DAV and other VSOs have vowed to continue providing their free services to veterans. In a news report by Military.com, DAV’s Jim Marszalek said that, “…if the veterans are not allowed to access the buildings to initiate their claims, we are going to set up our mobile service offices.” Marszalek said that DAV services officers would even set up tents near closed VA regional offices if necessary in order to ensure that veterans get the help they need to file claims for benefits. Bills to Expand Advance Appropriations Could Have Shielded Veterans During Shutdown Military.com reports that the VA still does not back pending advance appropriations legislation even though it could have shielded all VA programs from the current government shutdown. According to the Military.com report, “…the Department of Veterans Affairs will not say if it will support legislation -- first filed in February -- that would provide the entire agency with full funding a year in advance.” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (FL), who sponsored the bipartisan legislation (H.R. 813) with Congressman Mike Michaud (ME), said his goal was, “…to keep VA services from becoming a casualty of partisan politics.” Companion Senate legislation (S. 932) was introduced by Senators Mark Begich (AK) and John Boozman (AR), but has yet to be approved by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

VETERAN JOURNAL: Will VA reveal how shutdown will really affect veterans?

(91outcomes.com) - Today's Veteran Journal has an excellent article written by acclaimed journalist Jamie Reno, who often writes about Gulf War and many other veterans' issues.

In today's article, entitled, "Will VA reveal how shutdown will really affect veterans?", Reno asks tough questions, wondering aloud about how transparent VA will be during a hearing this week before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee (HVAC) related to the government shutdown's effect on veterans.

In the article, Reno quotes a letter from HVAC Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki:

“Accordingly, as a minimum, please be prepared to discuss the following: 

1) the effect of a lapse in mandatory appropriation across all benefit programs, both in terms of timing and scope of payment interruptions; 

2) the effect of a lapse in discretionary appropriation on claims processing, to include decisions regarding overtime pay; and 

3) the apparent decision by the Administration to suspend international briefings to Congress, even if personnel providing those briefings are a) fully funded via advance appropriations or b) excepted personnel (either in active pay status or not).” 

For much more prelude on Wednesday's Congressional hearing, read the full article at:  http://www.veteranjournal.com/will-va-reveal-how-shutdown-will-really-affect-veterans

October RAC-GWVI Meeting Cancelled due to Government Shutdown, Unclear When VA Will Allow it to Meet

Written by Anthony Hardie, 91outcomes.com

(91outcomes.com) - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has cancelled the October 28-29, 2013 meeting of the Congressionally chartered Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (RAC-GWVI), alleging the current government shutdown as the reason.

According to an email received by 91outcomes this evening, Oct. 4, 2013, from RAC personnel, 

"Yes, we just heard this afternoon that the October 28-29 RAC meeting has been cancelled due to the govt. shutdown. The VA is open for patient care but they have cancelled all meeting travel for the month of October (at least) to conserve funds. The RAC is still OK in terms of funding for now.

Following a contentious June 19, 2012 meeting in which the RAC issued a "no confidence" report regarding VA's Gulf War research actions, the RAC was prevented by VA staff from holding several of its regularly scheduled meetings spanning the course of an entire year.  

In February of this year, 58 of the nation's veterans service organizations noted the following regarding the RAC in their report, The Independent Budget for Fiscal Year 2014:

"Instances such as the RAC-GWVI comments and recommendations to suspend conducting VA’s follow-up study of a national cohort of Gulf War and Gulf War-era veterans (Gulf War Follow-Up Study) and to the changes made to the post-January 23, 2012, version of VA’s Gulf War Research Strategic Plan are cause for great concern with the direction of VA GWI research."  

The VSO's, which include the VFW, DAV, AMVETS, and Paralyzed Veterans of America, and 54 other veterans service organizations, went on to note the RAC's June 2012 "no confidence" vote and a sharp VA decrease in Gulf War funding as, 

"contribut[ing] to the lagging interest among researchers who would otherwise commit themselves and their careers in Gulf War illness research, further marginalizing ill Gulf War veterans."

Between late May and early June of this year, the chairman of the RAC and all the Gulf War veterans on the RAC sent letters of concern to VA's leadership, expressing concerns about retaliatory changes to the RAC's mission, scope, and composition.  All of the panel's Gulf War veterans walked out of the meeting in protest of VA's actions, with two (Marguerite Knox, Anthony Hardie) resigning in protest.  

Gulf War veterans have called for legislation to restore and strengthen the RAC, authorized in a 1998  law aimed by its authors at providing independent oversight over federal Gulf War research efforts.  

It is unclear when the VA will allow the RAC, significantly altered by the recent changes, to meet again.