In a 2018 letter to Dr. Paul R. Lawrence, the VA under secretary for benefits, Nevin offered a simple solution for rectifying these possible misdiagnoses: “Screening for such symptomatic exposure during a medical disability examination can be as quick and simple as asking the veteran, ‘Did you take mefloquine,’ and if so, ‘While you were taking the drug, did you experience one or more of these symptoms?’” he wrote. In doing so, he argued, “examiners should retain an index of suspicion that any chronic neurologic or psychiatric symptoms, including those reported, could represent effects of mefloquine poisoning.” “DOD not only dropped the ball in administering mefloquine in the first place, it also failed in its record-keeping of who and how many service members took it,” said Deputy National Legislative Director for Benefits Shane Liermann. “Recently, the VA has contracted with the National Academy of Medicine to study the long-term health effects of antimalarial medications. We are hoping this will overcome the shortcomings of the joint 2018 VA-DOD study and provide a path for Congress to establish presumptive service connection for any diseases or disorders found to be associated with the use of antimalarials like mefloquine.” For his part, Nevin stated the DOD’s role in developing and administering mefloquine is what makes this issue a bitter pill to swallow. “The drug company and the military knew all along, but they didn’t advertise or emphasize it,” said Nevin. “And as a result, we’ve unintentionally poisoned an entire generation of veterans with this drug.” ■ “The military said, ‘Here’s your mefloquine, you’re getting on the plane, you may have some crazy dreams, but suck it up and drive on.’ So, we systematically ignored and undermined the critical safety warnings .” Dr. Remington Nevin Learn More Online Veterans who have questions about Mefloquine or other service-related injuries can contact their local DAV service office at benefitsquestions.org. Then-Army Capt. Remington Nevin at Kandahar Airfield during his deployment to Afghanistan in 2008. Nevin, a board-certified physician epidemiologist who currently serves as executive director of The Quinism Foundation, served as a preventative medicine officer for Combined Joint Task Force-82 while deployed. 21