PRESUMPTIVE CONDITIONS FOR FORMER POWS

New regulations effective December 16, 2003 removed the requirement that a former prisoner of war be held in captivity for a minimum of 30 days in order for certain disabilities to be service connected under the presumptive provisions of the law.  If you were interred or detained in a hostile country for less than 30 days and have any of the following conditions which manifest, you may be able to receive monthly compensation for these disabilities, even if there is no record of them in your service medical records.  The disabilities are as follows:

• Psychosis
• Any of the anxiety states
• Dysthymic disorder (or depressive neurosis)
• Organic residuals of frostbite
• Post-traumatic arthritis
• Atherosclerotic heart disease (to include ischemic heart disease)
• Hypertensive vascular disease
• Stroke

  If you were interred or detained in a hostile country for 30 days or more, and have any of the following conditions which manifest, you may be able to receive monthly compensation for these disabilities, even if there is no record of them in your service medical records.  The disabilities are as follows:

• Any of the above listed conditions
• Avitaminosis
• Beriberi & associated heart disease
• Chronic dysentery
• Helminthiasis
• Malnutrition & optical deficiencies
• Pellagara
• Other nutritional deficiencies
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Cirrhosis of the liver

For more information or a definition of the above conditions, please e-mail me!