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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 23, 2008

## VA Secretary Establishes ALS as a Presumptive Compensable Illness

> *Cites Association between Military Service and Later Development of
> ALS*
>
> WASHINGTON -- Veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may
> receive badly-needed support for themselves and their families after
> the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that ALS will
> become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90
> days or more of continuously active service in the military.
>
> "Veterans are developing ALS in rates higher than the general
> population, and it was appropriate to take action," Secretary of
> Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake said.
>
> Secretary Peake based his decision primarily on a November 2006 report
> by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) on
> the association between active-duty service and ALS.
>
> "We are extremely grateful to Secretary Peake, Congressman Henry Brown
> and Senator Lindsey Graham for standing on the side of veterans with
> ALS across the country," said Gary Leo, president and CEO of The ALS
> Association. "Thanks to their leadership, veterans with ALS will
> receive the benefits and care they need, when they need them. Thanks
> to their efforts, no veteran with ALS will ever be left behind." 
>
> The report, titled *Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review
> of the Scientific Literature*, analyzed numerous previous studies on
> the issue and concluded that "there is limited and suggestive evidence
> of an association between military service and later development of
> ALS."
>
> "ALS is a disease that progresses rapidly, once it is diagnosed," the
> Secretary explained. "There simply isn't time to develop the evidence
> needed to support compensation claims before many veterans become
> seriously ill. My decision will make those claims much easier to
> process, and for them and their families to receive the compensation
> they have earned through their service to our nation."
>
> **- More -**

#### New Regulation on ALS Presumptive 2/2/2/2

> ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neuromuscular disease that
> affects about 20,000 to 30,000 people of all races and ethnicities in
> the United States, is often relentlessly progressive, and is almost
> always fatal.
>
> ALS causes degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord
> that leads to muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and spontaneous muscle
> activity. Currently, the cause of ALS is unknown, and there is no
> effective treatment.
>
> The new interim final regulation applies to all applications for
> benefits received by VA on or after September 23, 2008, or that are
> pending before VA, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans
> Claims, or the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
> on that date.
>
> VA will work to identify and contact veterans with ALS, including
> those whose claims for ALS were previously denied, through direct
> mailings and other outreach programs.
>
> To view the entire regulation published in the Federal Register today,
> go to:
> [**www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-21998_PI.pdf**](http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-21998_PI.pdf).
> For more information on VA's disability compensation program, go to
> [www.va.gov](http://www.va.gov/) or contact 1-800-827-1000.

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