**KEEPING THE**

**PROMISE**

**Benefits and Services for**

**Former Prisoners of War**

## DEFINITION OF A FORMER PRISONER OF WAR

**Period of War** -- a former POW is a veteran who, while on active duty
in the military, air, or naval service, was forcibly detained or
interned in the line of duty by an enemy government or its agents or a
hostile force.

Periods of war include: World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War,
and service after August 2, 1990.

**Peacetime-Comparable to Wartime** - a former POW also includes a
veteran who, while on active duty during peacetime, was forcibly
detained or interned by a foreign government or its agents or a hostile
force, if the circumstances of the internment were comparable to wartime
internment (for example: Iran, Somalia or Kosovo).

## HEALTH CARE 

The VA health care system affords priority treatment for former POWs.

Former POWs who have a service--connected disability are eligible for VA
health care. This includes hospital, nursing home, and outpatient
treatment.

Former POWs who do not have a service-connected disability are eligible
for VA hospital and nursing home care -- without regard to their ability
to pay.

They are also eligible for outpatient care on a priority basis -- second
only to veterans with service-connected disabilities.

While former POWs are receiving treatment in an approved outpatient
treatment program, they are eligible for needed medicines, glasses,
hearing aids, or prostheses.

Former POWs are also eligible for all needed dental care.

There is no co-payment requirement for former POWs at VA pharmacies.

**DISABILITY COMPENSATION**

Former POWs are eligible for VA service-connected disability
compensation to the same extent as other veterans. Certain conditions,
however, are presumed to be related to time in captivity. These
presumptive disabilities are based on studies of the long-term effects
of captivity, deprivation, trauma, and cold injury on former POWs. For
first-time claimants, there must be a special POW Protocol Examination
conducted at a VA medical facility to determine the existence and degree
of these disabilities.

Former POWs who are diagnosed with any of the conditions in the five
categories below are presumed to be service-connected for those
conditions, ***regardless of their length of time in captivity:***

***Neuro-Psychiatric*.** Disabilities in this category are normal
consequences of POW captivity. Some of these disabilities can show up
many years following captivity and can produce mild to severe symptoms.
Irritability, anxiety, restlessness, sleep disorders, and unsociability
are only a few of the symptoms. These disabilities include:

-   Psychosis

-   Dysthymic Disorder (Depressive Neurosis)

-   Any of the Anxiety States (e.g., PTSD)

***Cold Injury.*** The freezing of tissue. The extremities farthest from
the heart are usually affected, primarily the nose, ears, hands and
feet. This usually produces long-term side effects such as numbness,
discoloration, excessive swelling, pain, and possibly arthritis in the
affected areas.

***Traumatic Arthritis.*** This disability looks and is treated like
degenerative arthritis (arthritis associated with age) except it is
caused by severe trauma to specific joints.

***Stroke.*** Includes the three major types of stroke: ischemic,
hemorrhagic, and embolic, as well as complications from stroke.

***Heart Disease.*** Heart disease includes atherosclerotic heart
disease, and hypertensive vascular disease (including hypertensive heart
disease, and hypertension). Ischemic heart disease and coronary artery
disease are included within this provision. Complications of
atherosclerotic heart disease are included. Complications may include
myocardial infarction (\"heart attack\"), congestive heart failure
(\"heart failure\"), and arrhythmia (\"irregular heart beat\").
Hypertensive vascular disease refers to disease associated with elevated
blood pressure. Complications caused by hypertensive vascular disease
are included. Diseases arising from viral or bacterial causes are not
included.

The following additional conditions are presumed to be service-connected
for ***Former POWs who were captive for 30 days or more***:

***Nutritional***. These disabilities result from the long-term effects
of the malnutrition suffered as a POW. While the former POW may not be
suffering from malnutrition now, it is possible to have residual
disabilities from malnutrition during captivity. These include:

-   **Avitaminosis** -- a disease resulting from lack of vitamins.

-   **Beriberi** -- a disease marked by inflammatory or degenerative
    changes of the nerves, digestive system, and heart caused by a lack
    of thiamin.

-   **Malnutrition** (including atrophy associated with malnutrition).

-   **Pellagra** -- a disease marked by dermatitis, stomach disorders,
    intestinal disorders, and nerve symptoms associated with a lack of
    niacin.

-   **Any other nutritional deficiency**.

***Helminthiasis***. Infectious residuals from any type of parasitic
worm.

***Gastrointestinal Disabilities**.* Includes:

-   **Peptic Ulcer Disease**-- ulcerations of the digestive tract.

-   **Irritable Bowel Syndrome** -- symptoms can include pain and
    constipation, chronic diarrhea, or both.

-   **Chronic Dysentery** -- frequent, watery stools with
    rectal/abdominal pain, fever and dehydration.

***Peripheral Neuropathy***. A neurological disorder characterized by
numbness and tingling of the extremities. It can be caused by
nutritional deficiency and will be evaluated by VA as a separate
disability for each extremity affected.

***Cirrhosis of the Liver***. A chronic disease of the liver in which
normal tissue is replaced with fibrous tissue and associated loss of
liver function. It can result from nutritional deprivation or infectious
hepatitis.

## DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY

**COMPENSATION (DIC)**

DIC is payable to the surviving spouse (and parents and children in some
cases) of a former POW who:

-   was a service member who died on active duty; or

-   died from service-related disabilities; or

-   died [on or before September 30, 1999]{.underline}*, and* was
    continuously rated totally disabled for a service-connected
    condition (including individual unemployability) for at least 10
    years immediately preceding death; or

-   died [after September 30, 1999]{.underline}, *and* was continuously
    rated totally disabled for a service-connected condition (including
    individual unemployability) for at least 1 year immediately
    preceding death.

DIC is terminated for a surviving spouse who remarries, but is resumed
if the remarriage ends in death, divorce, or annulment. Generally, DIC
entitlement continues for a surviving spouse who remarries on or after
attaining age 57.

## OTHER VA BENEFITS

The following are other significant VA benefits to which certain
veterans may be entitled: education and training, vocational
rehabilitation & employment services, home loan guaranty, insurance, and
burial benefits. Certain survivors may be entitled to health care, death
pension, education and training, home loan guaranty, and burial in a
national cemetery. Contact VA for more information.

## FOR ASSISTANCE

A Former POW Coordinator has been designated at each VA regional office
who can provide you information about and assistance in applying for the
benefits and services available to you.

***Call toll-free***

**1-800-827-1000 for VA benefits information**

**(TDD 1-800-829-4833)**

**or**

**1-877-222-VETS for VA health care**

**OR**

#  Visit the VA Web Site

**WWW.VA.GOV**

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*"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and
his orphan"*