After 13 years of denials, veterans suffering from Gulf War Syndrome won some vindication last week when a research panel reversed the long-standing government position that combat stress likely caused their illness.

The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses spent the last two years reviewing earlier studies and concluded that toxic substances such as pesticides and the nerve agent sarin probably account for the health problems of more than 100,000 vets. Moreover, the researchers said they believed the anti-nerve agents and insecticides the troops received for protection may actually have contributed to their illness. The committee rejected the psychological link as implausible because the war was short and most of the victims were not in combat.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi said the government will stop studying stress and spend $15 million to investigate the committee's findings. He said his office also will establish a center to develop treatments.

The reversal validates the claims of many veterans who have been denied disability benefits because the VA dismissed their problems as psychosomatic or not related to service. Beyond changing position, the government must change its policies and expedite the cases of the ailing vets it has ignored.