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.
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.
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Read More Here:
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- SSDI For Veterans
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- The Easiest Way to a 100% VA Disability Rating
- VA Benefits For Spouses of 100% Disabled Veterans
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