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VetXL Q&A Chat: Environmental Exposures and Burn Pits
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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
Hi
I have been getting rashes all over my body. It started in 2004 four months after I came home from Iraq. Then back to Iraq in 2007 have been going to the VA for the rashes and they can’t come up with no answers. I think it’s from all the burn pits, that I have burned or have been around them.
I have been getting rashes all over my body. It started in 2004 four months after I came home from Iraq. Then back to Iraq in 2007 have been going to the VA for the rashes and they can’t come up with no answers. I think it’s from all the burn pits, that I have burned or have been around them.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA presumes certain Gulf War era and post-9/11 Veterans were exposed to burn pits or other toxins. If you believe that you have a condition that is related to exposure to toxins, you are encouraged to file a claim now. Please contact our national call center for claim specific assistance at [login to see] so we may provide individual assistance or schedule an appointment to speak with someone at VERA - Home (force.com). For more information on the PACT Act and how you can apply for benefits, see VA.gov/PACT.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for your service. It can be difficult to determine a cause for skin conditions. The best advice is to continue to seek medical care for this condition. VA commissioned the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) to review associations between deployment to the Gulf War (1990-1991) and health outcomes. Though this was not specific to your timeframe, it was the same location. NASEM found inadequate /Insufficient evidence to determine an association for chronic skin conditions. There is no evidence to date that service to Iraq is associated with increased long term skin problems other than that from sun exposure, but VA encourages Veterans who believe the military services has negatively impacted their health to submit a claim.
Hello Folks, my name is Wayne Kilgore. I have gulfwar illness with many associated issues mental and physical. I also have 8 children all born after my return from Desert Storm. Three of my kids and my exwife, exfriend and my current wife are exhibiting the same physical symptoms I had when I returned from the gulf.
What is being done for them? What resources are available regarding contagions that are associated with exposure from the exposed veteran?
What is being done for them? What resources are available regarding contagions that are associated with exposure from the exposed veteran?
Andi Martinez
Thank you for your question. VA wants all Veterans and their families to receive health care that improves their health and wellbeing.
Family members are a key part of Veterans good health and support network. VA health care coverage is available for family members of certain Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled or died serving our country and in some cases, Veterans with children who have Spina Bifida. For additional information on PACT and who qualifies, please visit https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/
Family members are a key part of Veterans good health and support network. VA health care coverage is available for family members of certain Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled or died serving our country and in some cases, Veterans with children who have Spina Bifida. For additional information on PACT and who qualifies, please visit https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/
The PACT Act and your VA benefits | Veterans Affairs
The PACT Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. This law helps us provide generations of Veterans — and their survivors — with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve. This page will help answer your questions about what the PACT Act means for you or your loved ones. You can also call us at800-698-2411(TTY: 711). And you can file a claim for PACT...
Suspended Profile
I am overwhelmed. Vietnam 70-71. Entire tour of duty in field as a 11B. I did it all and saw it all. (101st Air Borne Division) Agent Orange etc. We burned trash etc (Burn Pits). Over 25 years I have submitted claims to the VA. Everything turned down. I have spent many hours on submitting claims and driving to appointments. SHOULD I HIRE A LAW FIRM TO HELP ME DEAL WITH THE VA BUREAUCRACY?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA cannot speak to your specific claim situation in this forum due to privacy issues. If we denied your claim in the past but we now consider your condition presumptive, we encourage you to file a Supplemental Claim. We’ll review the claim again. Please contact our national call center for claim specific assistance at [login to see] so we may provide individual assistance.
For more information on the PACT Act and how you can apply for benefits, see VA.gov/PACT.
For more information on the PACT Act and how you can apply for benefits, see VA.gov/PACT.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Although Bosnia is not indicated in the PACT Act, Veterans and their dependents are encouraged 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.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for your question and your service. Though the question is limited as to the information given, we note that while there are no presumptions associated with deployment to Bosnia, VA encourages Veteran who believe that military service has negatively impacted their health to submit a claim.
To FN Shanna Smith-Jackson, I was exposed to 1-1-1 trichloroethylene on a daily basis for 2 1/2 years on the flight line at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina. During training I was taught to call the parts truck “Alpha 5” to my aircraft to drop off a can of 1-1-1 in an olive drab spray can. We all used it to wash our hands. As an aircraft mechanic on the flight line we had no way to wash our hands. Using the lavatory on the plane was strictly forbidden. So later I find out it is highly dangerous and enters your blood stream through your skin. What do I have to do to see if it has harmed me. Right now I am losing weight and the VA has no explanation. I have gone from 156 lbs to 132 body fat 15% to 7.2 % It’s dangerous to get below 6 %. I eat a lot of food and is seems to go right through me way too fast. I am afraid my digestive system is failing. 65 years old and just retired. Less activity and still losing. For the remainder of my active duty of 4years I was in the maintenance dock where we had real wash rooms. I served in the 437th Military Airlift Wing as a mechanic.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
We cannot make diagnoses on this Q&A forum. You should seek care from a provider to make an accurate diagnosis and provide you with treatment. A medical diagnosis is the main priority. Further evaluation for military exposures should be addressed after your health issues are addressed. Making comments about exposures at this point would be speculation. 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#
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The PACT Act specifies presumptive locations for Veterans exposed to toxins. If you were not deployed to one of those specific locations, in order to establish entitlement to service-connected compensation, three prongs must be met. There must be evidence of an in-service event, evidence of a current disability and a link between the two. When VA recognizes a condition to be presumptively related to an in-service event, the presumption establishes the needed link. This means VA grants on a presumptive basis if the Veteran meets the criteria of the in-service event and has a diagnosed condition recognized to be related to that in-service event.
When a Veteran files a claim for a condition that is not an established presumptive for a location not identified in the PACT Act, VA would follow the same procedure of obtaining and reviewing evidence. However, this may also include requesting a medical opinion in conjunction with the exam request, to help determine if the current diagnosed condition is associated with the claimed in-service event.
When a Veteran files a claim for a condition that is not an established presumptive for a location not identified in the PACT Act, VA would follow the same procedure of obtaining and reviewing evidence. However, this may also include requesting a medical opinion in conjunction with the exam request, to help determine if the current diagnosed condition is associated with the claimed in-service event.
I was deployed to Somalia and tried to sign up for the burn pit. It showed it as being in the Gulf of Arden so I signed up and was denied. With the Pact Act it shows up as Somalia. Am I able to sign up for either? Do I qualify to sign up?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
We encourage you to file a claim. If a Veteran served in any of these locations and time periods, VA has determined they had exposure to burn pits or other toxins. This is having a presumption of exposure. On or after September 11, 2001, in any of these locations: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and the airspace above any of these locations. On or after August 2, 1990, in any of these locations: Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, The United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the airspace above any of these locations. Veterans and their dependents are encouraged 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.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
While the PACT Act has passed, the list of countries outlined for presumptions of toxic exposure (incudes Somalia) is different for the eligible countries for the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR). Eligibility for the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pits Registry (AHOBPR) is governed by law and currently include deployments to the Southwest Asia theater of operations or Egypt any time after August 2, 1990 or Afghanistan, Djibouti, Syria, or Uzbekistan on or after September 11, 2001.
Regions and countries include: Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Egypt.
Regions and countries include: Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Egypt.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Burn pits are not considered a presumption cause for Vietnam. Veterans and their dependents are encouraged 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.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for your service and question. The PACT Act burn pit legislation is specifically aimed at the large industrial burn pits in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations and does not include other locations. VA encourages Veterans who believe that military services has negatively impacted their health to submit a claim. Please see the full set of Agent Orange presumptions on the website at :https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp
I was stationed on a 1960's coast guard cutter that was insulated and contained a lot of asbestos. As a damage controlman, I used to take asbestos rolls and insulate pipes and valves after repairs. Later in life I developed bladder cancer and the VA removed my bladder and prostate. Am I eligible for VA disability and compensation for this?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Asbestos exposure is not specifically addressed in the PACT Act. However, depending on the condition you have been diagnosed with and the location of your service, service connection may be considered. 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 your service and question. While there are no presumptions for asbestos exposure, VA encourages Veterans who believe that military service has negatively impacted their health to submit a claim. Please see the VA website concerning asbestos at: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/asbestos/index.asp
I was exposed to burn pits while actively serving in Somalia. I tried to register in the Burn Pit registry, but keep having issues at the final stage. I suffered hair loss after leaving Somalia while in Korea. I left the military in 1998. Am I eligible to register in the burn pit registry? Also, is Alopecia considered a legitimate reason to file as a disability or damage suffered from my service?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA cannot speak to your specific claim situation in this forum due to privacy issues. If we denied your claim in the past but we now consider your condition presumptive, we encourage you to file a Supplemental Claim. We’ll review the claim again. Please contact our national call center for claim specific assistance at [login to see] so we may provide individual assistance .
For more information on the PACT Act and how you can apply for benefits, see VA.gov/PACT.
For more information on the PACT Act and how you can apply for benefits, see VA.gov/PACT.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Somalia is not one of the eligible countries for the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pits Registry (AHOBPR). Registry eligibility is governed by law and currently include deployments to the Southwest Asia theater of operations or Egypt any time after August 2, 1990 or Afghanistan, Djibouti, Syria, or Uzbekistan on or after September 11, 2001. Regions and countries include: Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Egypt. Though alopecia is not a presumption, you can file an individual claim.
Suspended Profile
I am a 1969 Viet Nam, Central Highlands Veteran with several documented treated episodes of breathing difficulties over the last several years, diagnosed as Restrictive Airway disease. Is this condition included in the list of "presumed" Agent Orange? My in-country transportation included multiple trips on a C-123.
I'm being asked for, as a consequence of a VA Disability Claim, a physician's opinion that this is service connected, and further, this research that Dioxins could be a causal issue.
I have moved from Denver to Phoenix and no longer have access to the doctor(s) who treated this condition, and am waiting until November 29 for a new Primary Care Physician: However, the VA is giving me only until September 9, 2022 to submit this information (I cannot comply, obviously).
So again, is Restrictive Airway Disease a "presumptive" condition of exposure to Agent Orange?
I'm being asked for, as a consequence of a VA Disability Claim, a physician's opinion that this is service connected, and further, this research that Dioxins could be a causal issue.
I have moved from Denver to Phoenix and no longer have access to the doctor(s) who treated this condition, and am waiting until November 29 for a new Primary Care Physician: However, the VA is giving me only until September 9, 2022 to submit this information (I cannot comply, obviously).
So again, is Restrictive Airway Disease a "presumptive" condition of exposure to Agent Orange?
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
We determine eligibility based on the facts of each Veteran’s claim. While we assume (or "presume”) that certain cancers and other illnesses are caused by Agent Orange, Reactive Air Way Disease is not a recognized condition presumptive to exposure to Agent Orange. For more information of the service requirements for Agent Orange exposure, see Agent Orange Exposure And VA Disability Compensation | Veterans Affairs. Unfortunately, we are unable to answer questions specific to your individual claim in this forum due to privacy issues. Please contact our national call center for claim specific assistance at [login to see] for the status of your claim and so we may provide individual assistance. For more information on the PACT Act and how you can apply for benefits, see VA.gov/PACT.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Please see the VA Agent Orange website for a list of presumptions at: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp Restrictive airway disease is not a current presumption of Agent Orange. VA encourages Veterans who believe that military service negatively impacted their health to submit a claim. Thank you for your service and question.
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