[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 226 (Friday, November 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58784-58785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29209]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Illnesses Not Associated With Service in the Persian Gulf During 
the Persian Gulf War

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice; clarification.

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SUMMARY: In a notice published July 6, 2001 (66 FR 35702-35710), we 
stated in the SUMMARY paragraph, ``As required by law, the Department 
of Veterans Affairs (VA) hereby gives notice that the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, under the authority granted by the Persian Gulf War 
Veterans Act of 1998, Pub. L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681-742 through 2681-
749 (codified at 38 U.S.C. 1118), and the Veterans Programs Enhancement 
Act of 1998, Pub. L. 105-368, 112 Stat. 3315, has determined that there 
is no basis to establish a presumption of service connection for any 
disease based on service in the Persian Gulf during the Persian Gulf 
War.''
    The purpose of this notice is to clarify that the September 7, 
2000, National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report entitled ``Gulf War and 
Health, Volume 1. Depleted Uranium, Sarin, Pyridostigmine Bromide, 
Vaccines'' covered only those items. This notice also is to clarify 
that VA's July 6, 2001, notice was intended to convey to the public 
that the Secretary of Veterans

[[Page 58785]]

Affairs, under the relevant statutory authorities, had determined only 
that, at that time, there was no basis for establishing a presumption 
of service connection for any illness suffered by Gulf War veterans 
based on exposure to depleted uranium, sarin, pyridostigmine bromide, 
and certain vaccines.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Bisset, Jr., Consultant or Bill 
Russo, Attorney-Advisor, Compensation and Pension Service, Regulations 
Staff, Veterans Benefits Administration, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20420, telephone (202) 273-7213 and (202) 273-7211, 
respectively.

Anthony J. Principi,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 01-29209 Filed 11-21-01; 8:45 am]
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