Henry Brown: “I would like to discuss a very serious battle our veterans are waging here at home, a battle against ALS, better known…”

“I would like to discuss a very serious battle our veterans are waging here at home, a battle against ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Several independent and government studies have found that military veterans are at a greater risk of dying from Lou Gehrig's disease than those who have never served in the military. In fact, veterans are at a 60 percent greater risk to develop ALS. Lou Gehrig's disease is a horrific disease that robs a person of the ability to control their muscles. Unfortunately, I have met firsthand and have knowledge of the true nature of ALS and its impact on veterans. I have watched the disease attack a good friend of mine, Tom Mikolajcik, a retired Air Force brigadier general. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2003. Since then I have seen the disease take a once-powerful man and rob him of nearly all of his physical abilities. Mr. Chairman, only certain veterans with ALS who served in theatre during the 1991 Persian Gulf War are currently presumed to be eligible for service-connected benefits, and there are significant research needs related to the causes and treatment of ALS. As such, we must begin to take the steps necessary to not only discover why our veterans are at greater risk of ALS and to find treatments for the disease but also to help ensure that they have timely access to needed VA benefits.”