The C&P Gulf War General Medical examination is a forensic and legal examination. The two main differences between an examination for treatment and a C&P Gulf War General Medical examination are:

  1. The purpose of the examination
  2. The primary audience for the examination report

Generally, the purpose of an examination for treatment is to provide a diagnosis and determine appropriate treatment for a patient. The audience for a treatment examination report is primarily other clinicians.

In contrast, VBA requests a C&P Gulf War General Medical examination to gather clinical information needed to assist VA in determining a claimant’s entitlement to benefits based on service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. The CFR provides some guidance for the Gulf War General Medical examination. Select 38 CFR 3.317 to view this entire section at the U.S. Government Printing Office website. You can access this website at any time from course Resources.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The claimant may be referred to as a Gulf War Veteran or a Persian Gulf Veteran throughout this course, as VA regulations and directives may use either term. Both terms refer to Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.