Reading Room Document

Gulf War Veterans Health Statutes

Section 1604 of the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998 is constitutionally invalid insofar as it purports to nullify prospectively certain described legislation that might be enacted in the future. Overlapping provisions of the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998 and the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998, although redundant and burdensome in some respects if both statutes are given effect, are not inherently conflicting or mutually exclusive and therefore both provisions must be treated as valid and given effect. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/19556/download.

March 12, 1999