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ARMED FORCES NEWS |
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Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi announced on Oct. 2 that the Bush administration will expand benefits to all former POWs with strokes and common heart diseases. "This is an issue that has been studied and debated too long," Principi said. "We have scientific studies supporting the association of these illnesses to the military service of our former POWs." Those veterans automatically will be eligible for disability compensation for those common ailments, and their spouses and dependents will be eligible for service-connected survivors' benefits if the diseases contribute to the death of a former POW. The new benefits will be added to the list of 16 medical problems that VA presumes to be linked to the military service of former POWs. The new rules are likely to take effect today (Oct. 7). |
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