38 USC 1101 – Definitions
For the purposes of this chapter—
(1) The term “veteran” includes a person who died in the active military, naval, air, or space service.
(2) The term “period of war” includes, in the case of any veteran—
(A) any period of service performed by such veteran after November 11, 1918, and before July 2, 1921, if such veteran served in the active military, naval, air, or space service after April 5, 1917, and before November 12, 1918; and
(B) any period of continuous service performed by such veteran after December 31, 1946, and before July 26, 1947, if such period began before January 1, 1947.
(3) The term “chronic disease” includes—
Anemia, primary
Arteriosclerosis
Arthritis
Atrophy, progressive muscular
Brain hemorrhage
Brain thrombosis
Bronchiectasis
Calculi of the kidney, bladder, or gallbladder
Cardiovascular-renal disease, including hypertension
Cirrhosis of the liver
Coccidioidomycosis
Diabetes mellitus
Encephalitis lethargica residuals
Endocarditis
Endocrinopathies
Epilepsies
Hansen’s disease
Hodgkin’s disease
Leukemia
Lupus erythematosus, systemic
Myasthenia gravis
Myelitis
Myocarditis
Nephritis
Organic diseases of the nervous system
Osteitis deformans (Paget’s disease)
Osteomalacia
Palsy, bulbar
Paralysis agitans
Psychoses
Purpura idiopathic, hemorrhagic
Raynaud’s disease
Sarcoidosis
Scleroderma
Sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral
Sclerosis, multiple
Syringomyelia
Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger’s disease)
Tuberculosis, active
Tumors, malignant, or of the brain or spinal cord or peripheral nerves
Ulcers, peptic (gastric or duodenal)
and such other chronic diseases as the Secretary may add to this list.
(4) The term “tropical disease” includes—
Amebiasis
Blackwater fever
Cholera
Dracontiasis
Dysentery
Filiariasis
Hansen’s disease
Leishmaniasis, including kala-azar
Loiasis
Malaria
Onchocerciasis
Oroya fever
Pinta
Plague
Schistosomiasis
Yaws
Yellow fever
and such other tropical diseases as the Secretary may add to this list.