AUGUST 6, 2024 – The Department of Veterans Affairs is advancing efforts to address issues associated with military-related toxic exposure by launching a redesigned Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, known as the Burn Pit Research Registry.
“This tool is a significant improvement in making data available in a way that better serves all those who were exposed to burn pits and other hazards,” said Dr. Lester Martínez-López, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
The registry is a secure database of health information provided by veterans and service members to help the VA better understand, research, and improve treatment for certain health challenges veterans experience following exposure to airborne hazards and burn pits during their military service.
According to the VA, no medical information will be stored in the registry, and veteran and service member data will be accessible only to select VA epidemiologists and researchers, and institutional review board-approved researchers. It will be used to conduct research on the cohort over a period of time. The results will inform the policy decision-making efforts of VA executive leaders, including those related to presumptive conditions.
“Being part of the registry is a way for individuals to help and improve our understanding of the challenges faced by service members and veterans affected by these exposures,” Martínez continued.
The VA first developed the Burn Pit Registry in 2014 to help service members and veterans document potential exposure to airborne hazards while deployed overseas.
The new version of the registry incorporates extensive veteran feedback, expands participation criteria, automatically includes participants in the registry, and simplifies participation requirements. It paves the way for critical research in the coming years.
Additionally, the registry will now include more than 4.7 million veterans and service members who meet participation criteria based on Department of Defense records.
Veterans and service members automatically included in the registry will be those who, according to DOD records, served in the military campaigns or theater of operations listed below during the designated time frame:
- Operations and Campaigns: Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Iraqi Freedom; Enduring Freedom; and New Dawn
- 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 between Aug. 2, 1990, and Aug. 31, 2021
- Somalia since Aug. 2, 1990
- Southwest Asia theater of military operations and Egypt any time after Aug. 2, 1990
- Afghanistan, Djibouti, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, or Yemen any time after Sept. 11, 2001
- Associated airspaces with the countries listed above as well as the waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea
This list is in addition to those who were based or stationed at a location on or after Sept. 11, 2001, where an open burn pit was used in Afghanistan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Egypt, or Syria.
Importantly, participating in or opting out of the registry does not impact nor determine eligibility for veterans’ individual VA health care or benefits. Those who do not wish to participate in the registry can opt out by completing this online form.
According to Dr. Shereef Elnahal, under secretary for health at the VA, the list will serve as a catalyst for advancing new and innovative treatments for veterans.
“The Burn Pit Registry is fueling groundbreaking research and enabling VA’s ability to identify and proactively address health challenges that toxic-exposed veterans face at a population level.”
If you are a veteran seeking screening, health care, or benefits for toxic exposures, visit the VA.gov/PACT site or call 1-800-MYVA411.
For more about airborne hazards and available benefits, visit the Defense Health Agency Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry resource page.
Story by Ken Cornwell
Defense Health Agency