From: David K. Winnett, Jr. <usmc1one@gmail.

com>
Date: Thu, Apr 24, 2014 at 9:46 AM
Subject: This is the email that resulted in the Army Times article
To:

http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20140422/BENEFITS04/30
4220036/Top-VA-official-questions-use-term-Gulf-War-illness

Friends,
Below is a copy of the email referenced in the above Army Times article (above) about
the VA's concerns about having to change the name of GWI from Chronic Multi-
symptom Illness (CMI) to "Gulf War Illness". Now that the story is front page news I
feel that all Gulf War Veterans deserve to read the actual email from the Institute of
Medicine staff to members of the committee charged with recommending a name for
what the VA now calls CMI.

This is the email that started it all. PLEASE do not contact any of the IOM people listed
on the email. It is not their fault that this email made its way into the public
domain. However, you may want to share a copy with your elected representatives in
order to make them aware of VA's never-ending attempts to minimize the significance
and seriousness of Gulf War Illness.

In my view it is clear that the VAs ulterior objective is to avoid a flood of new disability
claims that would no doubt occur when the VA more clearly defines Gulf War
Illness. Currently it is nearly impossible for a sick Gulf War Veteran to be approved for
benefits because of the ambiguous way in which its etiology is provided to VA doctors
and claims adjudicators. Trust me, thats done on purpose, to avoid having to approve
what will be some very costly claims.
Semper Fi

Dave

From: "Fulco, Carolyn" <CFulco@nas.edu>

Date: March 18, 2014 at 13:13:43 PDT

To: Anne Louise Oaklander <aoaklander@partners.org>, "catherine.lomen-
hoerth@ucsf.edu" <catherine.lomen-hoerth@ucsf.edu>, "Debbie Cory-Slechta"
<deborah_cory-slechta@urmc.rochester.edu>, Floyd Bloom <fbloom@scripps.edu>,

Fred Friedberg <Fred.Friedberg@stonybrook.edu>, "Howard Kipen"

<kipen@eohsi.rutgers.edu>, James Levenson <jlevenson@mcvh-vcu.edu>, Javier Nieto
<fjnieto@wisc.edu>, Jeannie-Marie Leoutsakos <jeannie-marie@jhu.edu>, Joanna
Katzmann <jkatzman@salud.unm.edu>, Karon Cook <karon.cook@northwestern.edu>,
Kenneth Shine <kshine@utsystem.edu>, "Linda Nguyen" <nguyenLB@stanford.edu>,
Ron Teichman <rfteichman@aol.com>, "Suzanne Vernon" <sdvernon@cfids.org>,
Thomas Mason <tmason@health.usf.edu>

Cc: "Fulco, Carolyn" <CFulco@nas.edu>, "Goodman, Joe" <JGoodman@nas.edu>,
"Haver, Cary" <CHaver@nas.edu>

Subject: Briefing followup

Dear Committee Members,

Last week your report was released and briefings were held. Ken did a great job with
the briefings along with Debbie, Karon, and Fred. The VA was very polite during the
briefings (that is not always the case) and asked lots of questions. In particular, the
undersecretary for compensation and benefits was concerned that the changing the
name from CMI to GWI might imply a causal link between service in the Gulf and poor
health which could necessitate legislation for disability compensation for veterans who
served in the Gulf .

The House and Senate were also interested and had many questions. I have recently
seen draft legislation making its way around Capitol Hill (its a House Resolution) that
directs the VA to accept ALL the committees recommendations.

I sent copies of the report to all the folks who attended the first meeting. All the
veterans sent me emails thanking the committee for its work. Many of them were very
appreciative of the findings.

Ill send you all final copies of the book in a few weeks.

Thank you all again.

Best regards,

Carolyn