Five million veterans have now been screened for toxic exposures by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In a release, the VA calls the screening a “critical step to detecting, understanding, and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions.” Of the 5 million veterans who have received the screening, 2.1 million or 43% reported at least one potential exposure.
“By screening veterans for toxic exposures, we can improve their health care and detect potential health challenges as early as possible,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “This leads to better health outcomes — and better quality of life — for these heroes who were exposed to toxins while serving our country.”
The milestone comes just 13 months after the screenings began at VA medical centers and clinics nationwide as a part of the PACT Act. The legislation expanded VA health care and benefits to veterans of all eras exposed to toxins as a result of their military service.
“We have made significant progress toward our goal to screen all veterans enrolled in VA health care for toxic exposures at least once every five years,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal “But most importantly, this milestone means we’ve had 5 million opportunities to provide veterans with the exposure-informed care they deserve.”
The screening takes five to 10 minutes and begins with VA health providers asking veterans if they believe they experienced any toxic exposures while serving in the armed forces. Those who answer yes are then asked follow-up questions and offered connections to information on benefits, registry-related medical exams, and other clinical resources, as indicated. Those responses are added to the veterans’ VA medical record to be included as part of their future care.
The two most reported exposures are burn pits and Agent Orange, which together make up more than 60% of veteran responses. More than half of the veterans screened (2.6 million) are 65 years old or older, with veterans under 45 making up just over 900,000 of those screened. Of the nearly 650,000 women veterans who regularly use VA care, more than 535,000 have been screened for toxic exposures.
The toxic exposure screening does not play a role in determining disability compensation and each veteran who reports a potential exposure receives a letter with information about how to apply for benefits.
VA is also in the pilot stages of developing a self-screening tool that will make the initial question of the screening even more easily accessible to veterans with access to web-based electronic communications.
Veterans who aren’t currently enrolled with VA can submit an application and receive a toxic exposure screening after enrollment.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.