The Department of Veterans Affairs has started processing disability claims for asthma, rhinitis, and sinusitis on a presumptive basis for certain veterans exposed to burn pits while serving in Southwest Asia and other areas.
“I announced my intent to initiate rulemaking on May 27 to consider adding respiratory conditions to the list of chronic disabilities,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said a release. “Through this process, I determined that the evidence provided was sufficient to establish presumptions of service connection for these three respiratory conditions.”
Burn pits have been used at U.S. military installations for years. The designated areas are dedicated to burning everything from human waste to excess equipment and other trash. The pits have exposed more than 3.5 million service members to toxic fumes.
The Southwest Asia theater of operations refers to Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the airspace above these locations.
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According to the release, the conditions must have manifested within 10 years of a qualifying period of military service.
The rulemaking process found that particulate matter pollution is associated with chronic asthma, rhinitis, and sinusitis for veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations beginning Aug. 2, 1990 to the present, or Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, or Djibouti beginning Sept. 19, 2001 to the present.
VA’s review also concluded that there was sufficient evidence to presume that these veterans have been exposed to particulate matter.
Toxic exposure has also been at the forefront of the minds of those serving in Congress. Both the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs recently unveiled legislation to provide comprehensive health care and disability benefits for veterans of all generations exposed to toxic substances, including burn pits and Agent Orange.
The Comprehensive and Overdue Support for Troops (COST) of War Act of 2021 would provide generations of veterans suffering from toxic exposures their due benefits and care for the first time in VA history. The legislation recently passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in markup unanimously and was introduced by committee chairman Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).
VA will also reach out to impacted veterans and survivors about their eligibility and will provide information on how to apply.
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Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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