Colorado § 25-4-1903 - Gulf war syndrome registry - creation - reporting.

§ 25-4-1903. Gulf war syndrome registry - creation - reporting.

(1) There is hereby created a statewide gulf war syndrome registry that shall be established and maintained by the department. The registry shall contain the names of veterans and family members of veterans who have been affected by gulf war syndrome as reported by physicians, health-care professionals, hospitals, or medical facilities as provided in subsection (2) of this section or as reported by veterans on forms prescribed by the department. The registry shall also contain the names of children with cancer or birth defects who have at least one parent that is a veteran of the gulf war, and who submit information to the registry as provided in subsection (4) of this section.

(2) A physician or other qualified health-care professional who has primary responsibility for treating a veteran or a family member of a veteran and who believes the veteran may have been exposed to certain causative agents while serving in the armed forces of the United States during the gulf war shall submit a report to the department on a form provided by the department. If there is no physician or other qualified health-care professional having primary responsibility for treating the veteran or the veteran's family member, the hospital or other medical facility treating the veteran or family member shall submit the report to the department. No report shall be submitted pursuant to this subsection (2) unless consent of the veteran or, if the report involves a family member of the veteran, of the affected family member has been obtained. If the report involves a person who is under the age of eighteen years, consent shall be obtained from a parent or legal guardian of the child.

(3) The form provided by the department to veterans and to physicians or other qualified health-care professionals, hospitals, or other medical facilities shall request the following information:

(a) Symptoms of the veteran or family member of the veteran that may be related to exposure to causative agents during the gulf war;

(b) Diagnoses of the veteran or family member of the veteran;

(c) Methods of treatment prescribed;

(d) Outcome or results of any treatment prescribed.

(4) The department shall contact the families of any child born after August 2, 1990, who is on the state cancer registry or who has been reported to the department as having birth defects to determine whether either of the two biological parents of such child is a veteran of the gulf war. If either parent did serve, the department shall inform the family of the child about the registry. If the family consents, the child's name and any symptoms, diagnoses, methods of treatment, and treatment outcomes shall be listed in the registry.

Source: L. 98: Entire part added, p. 712, § 2, effective May 18.