Burn Pits: Presumptive Conditions

If you’re a veteran who got sick due to burn pit exposure during your military service, you may have tried unsuccessfully to secure VA disability benefits. For a long time, there were no conditions presumptively service-connected for those exposed to burn pits. Then, there were just three. Now, however, the VA recognizes a presumptive connection for a much longer list of conditions, with the door open to add more as research continues.

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Why are Burn Pits Harmful?

The U.S. military widely used burn pits in certain areas to dispose of a wide range of materials. Unfortunately, many of those materials were toxins or contaminants. Veterans serving near these large, open-area burn piles often inhaled these toxic materials and suffered skin exposure. The materials included a mix of chemicals, biological waste, old food, rubber, plastic, styrofoam, metals, lubricants, unexploded ordnance, and other materials.

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What Conditions are Presumed Service-Connected for Those Exposed to Burn Pits?

The PACT Act added several conditions to the presumptive list for burn pit exposure. Now, the full list includes:

Asthma (if diagnosed after service)
Chronic sinusitis
Chronic rhinitis
Chronic bronchitis
Pleuritis
Interstitial lung disease
Emphysema
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Constrictie bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis
Pulmonary fibrosis
Sarcoidosis
Granulomatous disease
Glioblastoma
Cancers of the head
Cancers of the neck
Respiratory cancers
Gastrointestinal cancers
Reproductive cancers
Lymphoma
Lymphatic cancers
Kidney cancer
Brain cancer
Melanoma
Pancreatic cancer

These presumptions apply to anyone who can show they were exposed to burn pits during their military service. But, for many veterans, there’s a presumption that covers that, too. A veteran is presumed to have been exposed to burn pits if they served in one of the following locations on or after August 2, 1990:

Bahrain
Iraq
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
The United Arab Emirates (UAE)

This includes the airspace over the listed areas. A presumption of exposure to burn pits also applies if a veteran served in one of the following locations on or after September 11, 2001:

Afghanistan
Djibouti
Egypt
Jordan
Lebanon
Syria
Uzbekistan
Yemen

This also includes the airspace over these areas.

What Should I Do if Burn Pit Exposure Made Me Sick?

If you were exposed to military burn pits in one of the listed areas and have been diagnosed with one of the listed conditions, your condition is presumed service-connected. But, there’s more to a successful VA claim than establishing a service connection. It’s still up to you to provide sufficient medical evidence to ensure that you get the right VA disability rating.

If your condition isn’t listed, or you were exposed to burn pits in a different setting, you may still be eligible for VA disability. But, it will take more evidence to establish your claim. Either way, you don’t have to figure it out alone. To learn more about how the experienced VA disability advocates at Disabled Vets can help, call 888-373-4722 right now, or fill out our contact form here.

Call 1-888-373-4722 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form