Sponsored
VetXL Q&A Chat: Environmental Exposures and Burn Pits
356K
226
584
We have reached capacity for questions for this event and VA will post responses by Sept 8th. For other PACT and burn pit related questions please call 1-800-MyVA411 ( [login to see] ).
Questions will be answered by the following experts:
» Dr. William J Culpepper - Deputy Director, Epidemiology Program, VA
» LTC Peter Rumm MD - Director of Policy, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA
» FN Shanna Smith-Jackson - Acting DEPDIR, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA
» Daniel Brown - Program Analyst, VA
» Jacqueline Imboden - Special Advisor, Compensation Services, VBA
» Rachel Jones - Assistant Director, Office of Administrative Review, VA
» RDML Ann Duff - Director of the Office of Survivors Assistance, VA
» Terra Vincent - Senior Toxicologist, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA
» Cpl Heather McKibben - Program Analyst, Office of Policy and Oversight, VBA
» Melissa Comeau - Director, American Red Cross Military Veteran Caregiver Network
» Coleton Whitaker - Senior Director of Programs, Elizabeth Dole Foundation
» Jamie Statton - Management Program Analyst, Office of Policy and Oversight, VBA
» Tara Kase - Senior Management & Program Analyst, Office of Policy & Oversight, VBA
» Maj Bonnie Carroll - President and Founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
Questions will be answered by the following experts:
» Dr. William J Culpepper - Deputy Director, Epidemiology Program, VA
» LTC Peter Rumm MD - Director of Policy, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA
» FN Shanna Smith-Jackson - Acting DEPDIR, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA
» Daniel Brown - Program Analyst, VA
» Jacqueline Imboden - Special Advisor, Compensation Services, VBA
» Rachel Jones - Assistant Director, Office of Administrative Review, VA
» RDML Ann Duff - Director of the Office of Survivors Assistance, VA
» Terra Vincent - Senior Toxicologist, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA
» Cpl Heather McKibben - Program Analyst, Office of Policy and Oversight, VBA
» Melissa Comeau - Director, American Red Cross Military Veteran Caregiver Network
» Coleton Whitaker - Senior Director of Programs, Elizabeth Dole Foundation
» Jamie Statton - Management Program Analyst, Office of Policy and Oversight, VBA
» Tara Kase - Senior Management & Program Analyst, Office of Policy & Oversight, VBA
» Maj Bonnie Carroll - President and Founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Burn Pits
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan
VA Claim
Responses: 196
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The PACT Act legislation regarding burn pits is specifically aimed at the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations and does not include other locations. VA encourages Veterans who feel that their health was negatively impacted by their military service to submit a claim. Thank you for your question and your service.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The PACT Act does not include Vietnam as a location where exposure to burn pits is presumed. However, if you believe that you have a condition that is related to exposure to burn pits or other toxins, you are encouraged to file a claim. VA assumes that Veterans who served in certain locations were exposed to Agent Orange. For example, we presume exposure to Agent Orange if you served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. For more information on VA disability benefits based on Agent Orange exposure please visit https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/hazardous-materials-exposure/agent-orange/. We also encourage you to visit VA’s PACT Act website at https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/. Veterans can utilize links on the site to submit claims, and address any questions to maximize their entitlement related to the act’s recent passage.
I WAS ASSIGN A STEWARD. IN 1969 THEY HAD ME SERVE AS A FIREWATCH OVER A WELDER.
THE SMOKE WAS QUITE TOXIC WHEN THE WELDER WAS IN SMALL ROOMS. THIS WAS WHEN THE KITTYHAWK WAS GOING IN A OVERHAUL. THE OVERHAUL WAS QUITE A DIRTY PLACE TO ME IN.
I HAD A CANCER CLOSE TO THE BRAIN AND THROAT. I UNDER WENT RADIATION THAT THEY OVER BURNED MY THROAT CLOSE TO THE BRAIN. IS THIS UNDER THE BURN PIT CONDITIONS. THEY DID CHEMO AND RADITION ON ME THIS WAS QUITE PAINFUL. PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I WENT UNDER MANY TYPES OF TESTS LIKE CD SCAN AND OTHERS.
THE SMOKE WAS QUITE TOXIC WHEN THE WELDER WAS IN SMALL ROOMS. THIS WAS WHEN THE KITTYHAWK WAS GOING IN A OVERHAUL. THE OVERHAUL WAS QUITE A DIRTY PLACE TO ME IN.
I HAD A CANCER CLOSE TO THE BRAIN AND THROAT. I UNDER WENT RADIATION THAT THEY OVER BURNED MY THROAT CLOSE TO THE BRAIN. IS THIS UNDER THE BURN PIT CONDITIONS. THEY DID CHEMO AND RADITION ON ME THIS WAS QUITE PAINFUL. PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I WENT UNDER MANY TYPES OF TESTS LIKE CD SCAN AND OTHERS.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Anytime you have a medical condition which you believe was caused by or worsened by events that occurred in service, you should file a claim for service connection. If the condition is not one established by the law as presumptive, you can still become service connected for that condition if a medical opinion linking the condition to the events in service or treatment during service is obtained. You can file that claim via the va.gov website, through an accredited representative or by making an appointment to speak with VBA at VERA - Home (force.com).
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for you service and question - It does not sound like you qualify for burn pit presumptions with your date of service. VA encourages Veterans who feel that their health was negatively impacted by their military service to submit a claim.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for service and question. VA encourages any Veteran who believes that military service has negatively impacted their health to submit a claim. You can find more information on Trichloroethylene (TCE) at the VA website: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/solvents/index.asp and at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts19.pdf# There is some evidence that TCE can cause kidney cancer. It can cause rashes. Surprisingly, long ago, it was used for anesthesia. TCE can cause heart rhythm disturbances due to irritation of the heart muscle. It does not appear to be related to diabetes. TCE can cause congenital heart defects if the motor is exposed during pregnancy.
What if you were near burn pits in these areas, and you’re NOT sick at all now, but you become sick in the future? What are the first steps someone should do if they find out they are sick years from now?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for your question and your service. Take care of your health, don't smoke, eat well, exercise, get your health screening on schedule and see your healthcare provider for any concerns. If a condition arises, VA encourages Veterans who feel that their health was negatively impacted by their military service to submit a claim.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
If you should become sick, you should first consult your doctor. Related to benefits, if you feel a condition that you become sick with is related to your exposure to toxins while serving in one of the locations outlined in the PACT Act, you should file a claim via va.gov or call [login to see] or you schedule an appointment to speak with someone at VERA - Home (force.com).
Thanks to all of the VA leaders who are answering these questions for the RallyPoint community around the globe. We have tons of active and former military folks on here who may be impacted by these related diseases and this legislation. Thanks again to the VA for coming on here to provide clarity!
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for you support. We are here because we believe in the VA mission and as the Secretary has noted, "Care of Veterans is a sacred mission".
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you your question - it is to be included under reproductive cancers under the new burn pit presumptions. VA encourages Veterans who feel that their health was negatively impacted by their military service to submit a claim. Thank you for your question.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The PACT Act establishes a presumption of service connection for reproductive cancer of any type for Veterans who served in the locations specified by the law. Breast cancer is considered to be a reproductive cancer, for VA purposes.
Why was the Compensation and Pension Department at VASORCC dissolved just as this was coming down the pike?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics has not “dissolved” their Compensation and Pension Department. Based on workload the work has shifted to designated providers and support from the overall network within VISN 20 as needed. This workload can shift as needed and has met the needs thus far, but with the changes in the PACT Act it will be reexamined as needed to address the needs of Veterans in Southern Oregon.
Is there or will there be any compensation for survivors of those who were suffering from consequences of the burn pits and have passed away while waiting to get some help in that direction? I am the mother of a veteran who suffered severely with consequences of working in and not around or just exposed to, the burn pits. He we know was around a tank that was filled with depleted uranium, I am not sure of the toxins that he was exposed to while working in the burn pit in Balad Iraq At camp Anaconda. He was the one that set up an incinerator ocean program that of course Halliburton took credit for. But from the time he came home to me in 2010 until he passed in 2019 and with many complaints to his providers at the VA that were noted but ignored, I watched him suffer the tortures of hell with what we think was the nerve endings in his body being eaten away by whatever he was exposed to. Nothing they gave him for pain worked he was taking the maximum amount of gabapentin and then had to other medications added to that but still no relief I’ve spent I know 24 seven trying to help and care for him the times were horrendous. In October 2019 I walked in and found that he had passed my heart has been broken ever cents and as it turns out because I am a mother and not a spouse or a child there are no benefits for me to be had through the VA system. Because of my age when he passed I could not go back to work and also my health. And I am trying desperately to survive on my Social Security which is just a little over 1000 a month and having to take care of a mortgage that we took out on the house to make corrections in order for it to be safe for him to get around in when he came home we also had to buy a car because the closest VA to us was over 100 miles away and sometimes his appointments were two and three times a week. Besides the normal monthly expenses that one would have in owning a home and trying to live on the minimal amount that I am getting it has been very hard. It is my plea that you consider in this pack that the caregivers of those that have passed on and are left with these types of circumstances. I have had to give up my home that I lived in for over 45 years raised my children in and the memories that I had to leave there have been heartbreaking I cannot help but feel that there should be something there for us as survivors in these circumstances.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for this inquiry. Although VA cannot speak to your specific claim situation, we can provide some general information about the available survivor benefits. Survivors, dependents or parents may be eligible for VA benefits based on the PACT Act. They will need to meet requirements for each benefit to qualify. Survivors, dependents or parents may be eligible for the following benefits: VA dependency and indemnity compensation (VA DIC) offers a monthly payment. Survivors may be eligible if they’re the surviving spouse, dependent child, or parent of a Veteran who died from a service-connected disability. Accrued benefits offer a one-time payment. Survivors may be eligible if they are the surviving spouse or dependent child or dependent parent of a Veteran who we owed benefits but that were unpaid at the time of their death. Health care through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) may be available for survivors and dependents of Veterans who are now, or who would have been, eligible for a service-connected disability. Burial allowance offers help with the Veteran’s burial and funeral costs. You may be eligible if you’re the Veteran’s surviving spouse, partner, child, or parent.
Wanted to know if my daughter can apply she was at Transit Center at Manas (formerly Manas Air Base and unofficially Ganci Air Base) is a former U.S. military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Kyrgyzstan is not included as a location for presumptive conditions related to burn pit exposure. The PACT Act specifies presumptive locations for Veterans exposed to toxins. However, if she believes she has a condition related to toxic exposure, we encourage your daughter to submit a claim.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Any Veteran can apply for benefits, no matter where they were stationed. VA encourages Veterans who feel that their health was negatively impacted by their military service to submit a claim. Thank you for your question and your daughter for her service. To answer your question most directly, we would need to know what illnesses or condition is she applying for. The PACT Act does not cover Kyrgyzstan as an area eligible for airborne hazards or burn pit exposure.
I hv been to the VA numerous times for a cough that they can’t figure out, and received 0% on my claim. So explain that
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for your question and service. Cough is a symptom and not a disease and so VA cannot make a determination based on a symptom. Your provider will need to provide a diagnosis.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
PACT Act establishes presumptions of service connection for more than 20 conditions related to exposure to burn pits and certain other toxins. The list of conditions includes certain respiratory conditions. If you believe that you have a disability related to exposure to toxins, you are encouraged to file a claim now. We encourage you to visit VA’s PACT Act website at https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/. Veterans can utilize links on the site to submit claims, and address any questions to maximize their entitlement related to the act’s recent passage.
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google