Gulf War Illnesses: Basic Questions Unanswered

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the expenditures by the Departments of Defense (DOD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and Health and Human Services (HHS) on Gulf War veterans' illnesses, focusing on the : (1) amount of money that these three departments spent in fiscal years 1997 and 1998 on research and investigation into Gulf War veterans' illnesses and health concerns; (2) results of the research and investigation spending; (3) extent of coordination between the Coordinating Board's Research Working Group and DOD's Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses; and (4) management of contracts supporting DOD's Office of the Special Assistant.