38 U.S.C. § 1101 — Definitions

For this chapter, (1) “veteran” includes a person who died while serving on active military, naval, air, or space duty. (2) “Period of war” includes the listed service after November 11, 1918, and before July 2, 1921, for a veteran who served during the specified World War I period, and qualifying continuous service after December 31, 1946, and before July 26, 1947, that began before January 1, 1947. (3) “Chronic disease” includes primary anemia; arteriosclerosis; arthritis; progressive muscular atrophy; brain hemorrhage or thrombosis; bronchiectasis; kidney, bladder, or gallbladder stones; cardiovascular-renal disease including hypertension; cirrhosis; coccidioidomycosis; diabetes; encephalitis lethargica residuals; endocarditis; endocrinopathies; epilepsy; Hansen’s disease; Hodgkin’s disease; leukemia; systemic lupus; myasthenia gravis; myelitis; myocarditis; nephritis; organic nervous-system disease; Paget’s disease; osteomalacia; bulbar palsy; paralysis agitans; psychoses; idiopathic hemorrhagic purpura; Raynaud’s disease; sarcoidosis; scleroderma; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; multiple sclerosis; syringomyelia; Buerger’s disease; active tuberculosis; malignant tumors or tumors of the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves; and peptic ulcers. The Secretary^* may add other chronic diseases. (4) “Tropical disease” includes amebiasis; blackwater fever; cholera; dracontiasis; dysentery; filariasis; Hansen’s disease; leishmaniasis including kala-azar; loiasis; malaria; onchocerciasis; Oroya fever; pinta; plague; schistosomiasis; yaws; and yellow fever. The Secretary may add other tropical diseases.