National Gulf War Resource Center

02/05/2026

I see a lot of veterans asking about how to get sleep apnea (OSA) service connected.
You do it as a secondary to your service-connected mental health disorders, all of them.

The link for this is in most cases the medication used to treat your service-connected issue, like PTSD, depression, joint and muscle pain, caused weight gain and that weight gain caused the OSA.

Look at your medications, some can cause weight gain and others (like Muscle relaxers and pain pills) can cause or worsen sleep apnea by inducing extreme relaxation of the throat and airway muscles, leading to airway collapse during sleep. These medications, often used for spasms, reduce muscle tone throughout the body, making it easier for the tongue and soft palate to obstruct breathing. You will need to send in a nexus as to this and the medical research or articles.

Many conditions are believed to be able to cause or result in sleep apnea. Any nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) abnormalities that reduce the openings of the airways “can” lead to an apnea condition. Rhinitis is a common condition that can lead to sleep apnea.

09/10/2025

12/04/2024

The PACT Act significantly expanded veterans’ eligibility for disabilities that VA presumes are related to exposure to toxic substances. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to determine whether Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) staff processed PACT Act claims for presumptive disabilities in accordance with applicable laws and procedures before denying them.
This report highlights that claims processors sometimes requested unwarranted examinations, which delayed claims processing and burdened veterans, or the processors did not return examinations for clarification when there was insufficient or conflicting information. Claims processors also sometimes requested medical opinions to determine service connection for disabilities the PACT Act presumed to be connected to service. These errors resulted in unnecessary payments for examinations and medical opinions, as well as underpayments to veterans. Additional errors had the potential to affect veterans’ benefits, such as when claims processors prematurely based decisions on inadequate or inconsistent examination results before denying veterans’ claims.
The OIG team also identified errors in claims processing that, while correctly denying service connection, resulted in an estimated $1.4 million in unnecessary costs for unwarranted examinations and medical opinions in the six-month review period. Underpayments were also identified totaling about $56,700 for two veterans’ claims during the same period who were improperly denied service connection. The team also found an estimated minimum of 870 potential errors that could affect veterans’ benefits. The OIG acknowledges that VBA has taken steps to address these kinds of errors for examinations, but that work is ongoing.
Read the full report

The PACT Act significantly expanded veterans’ eligibility for disabilities that VA presumes are related to exposure to toxic substances.

11/27/2024

The President signed H.R. 7777, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2024, into law on November 25, 2024. The law authorizes a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for veterans receiving VA disability compensation and clothing allowance and for survivors receiving dependency indemnity compensation (DIC) payments.

The adjustment, based on the yearly change in the cost of living as determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA), will take effect on Dec. 1, 2024, and will be reflected in veterans’ and survivors’ Jan. 1, 2025, compensation payments.

The COLA adjustment is intended to help cover rising costs of living, such as groceries, housing and health care. For more information, click here.

Send a message to learn more

11/14/2024

From the VA's own report.
VHA issued memorandums to Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and facility directors requiring additional toxic exposure screening training for clinical staff. However, 21.4 percent of clinical staff completed training prior to performing a screening during the period November 8, 2022, through January 9, 2023. Although training compliance increased after VHA issued additional guidance in January 2023, many veterans were likely screened by clinical staff who had not completed training.

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a national review to evaluate Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) implementation of the PACT Act of 2022, which mandated veteran toxic exposure screenings, and required clinical staff training.

09/07/2024

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/veterans-win-major-legal-victory-in-fight-over-land-for-housing/vi-AA1q8MDo?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=2bf819e2b48646d3ad37e7803f5edffe&ei=30

CNN’s Nick Watt reports on how it took decades of activism for veterans to finally obtain land it had been intended to be a home for disabled service members since the 1880s.

07/01/2024

Hello Veterans and Advocates,

Please consider supporting the Fort Riley 2024 Retiree Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 19, 2024 at the Riley Community Center.

Display space is FREE, tables and chairs are included.

The information and services you have available to veterans and spouses would make a great addition to the event.

Please RSVP here to make sure you are able to display at Retiree Day!

Michelle (Sheli) Sweeney
785.213.9053

05/30/2024

05/05/2024

Are some of you Desert Storm veterans getting tired of all of the small research studies?
PM me your reply.
Thank you.

Send a message to learn more

04/18/2024

From my veteran group.