PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION FOR PERSIAN GULF WAR VETERANS WITH CERTAIN CHRONIC DISABILITIES.

SEC. 202. PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION FOR PERSIAN GULF WAR VETERANS WITH CERTAIN CHRONIC DISABILITIES. (a) Illnesses That Cannot Be Clearly Defined.—(1) Subsection (a) of section 1117 is amended to read as follows: “(a)(1) The Secretary may pay compensation under this subchapter to a Persian Gulf veteran with a qualifying chronic disability that became manifest— “(A) during service on active duty in the Armed Forces in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War; or “(B) to a degree of 10 percent or more during the presumptive period prescribed under subsection (b). “(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘qualifying chronic disability’ means a chronic disability resulting from any of the following (or any combination of any of the following): “(A) An undiagnosed illness. 115 STAT. 989 “(B) A medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome) that is defined by a cluster of signs or symptoms. “(C) Any diagnosed illness that the Secretary determines in regulations prescribed under subsection (d) warrants a presumption of service-connection.”. (2) Subsection (c)(1) of such section is amended— (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “for an undiagnosed illness (or combination of undiagnosed illnesses)”; and (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking “for such illness (or combination of illnesses)”. (b) Signs or Symptoms That May Indicate Undiagnosed Illnesses.—(1) Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(g) For purposes of this section, signs or symptoms that may be a manifestation of an undiagnosed illness or a chronic multisymptom illness include the following: “(1) Fatigue. “(2) Unexplained rashes or other dermatological signs or symptoms. “(3) Headache. “(4) Muscle pain. “(5) Joint pain. “(6) Neurological signs and symptoms. “(7) Neuropsychological signs or symptoms. “(8) Signs or symptoms involving the upper or lower respiratory system. “(9) Sleep disturbances. “(10) Gastrointestinal signs or symptoms. “(11) Cardiovascular signs or symptoms. “(12) Abnormal weight loss. “(13) Menstrual disorders.”. (2) Section 1118(a) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(4) For purposes of this section, signs or symptoms that may be a manifestation of an undiagnosed illness include the signs and symptoms listed in section 1117(g) of this title.”. (c) Effective Date.—The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) shall take effect on March 1, 2002. (d) Clarification of Authority To Presume Service-Connection for Additional Diseases.—(1) Sections 1117(c)(2) and 1118(e) are each amended by striking “10 years” and all that follows through “of 1998” and inserting “on September 30, 2011”. (2) Section 1603(j) of the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998 (38 U.S.C. 1117 note) is amended by striking “10 years” and all that follows and inserting “on October 1, 2010.”.