MARCH 24, 2026 – In a significant move toward greater transparency and health care empowerment, the Military Health System is urging service members to “Know Your Exposure Story.”
Starting March 23, 2026, U.S. service members and civilian employee personnel have direct access to their career-long environmental and occupational exposure data.
The key to unlocking this personal exposure and health narrative is the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record, or ILER. This secure, web-based system compiles the detailed story of a service member’s potential exposures to environmental and occupational hazards during their entire military career, including data from training exercises, deployments, and garrison-duty assignments.
“If you’ve ever wondered what exposures are listed, from what you may have encountered during service, ILER helps you see what is on record – in one place, securely, and for your benefit,” noted Steve Jones, program director, comprehensive exposure monitoring policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Health Affairs.
“We are excited about this next step in the ILER story.”
Your service is also a health story
For years, a service member’s singular health record hasn’t always told the full story of their exposures during service. The ILER system is designed to change that, giving service members the transparency to know their own exposure story.
By linking service history to known events and incidents, ILER creates a comprehensive electronic record that helps empower users and their health care providers.
Knowing your exposure story can directly contribute to:
- Preventive health: Helping you proactively identify health risks before they become problems
- Clinical care: Equipping clinicians with the information they need for more accurate diagnoses and treatments
- Benefits determinations: Providing the documented exposure data needed to support benefits claims
This system is a joint effort between the Department of War and the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a historical and easily accessible record of available exposure data, an ultimate view of a patient’s environmental health story.
Tell your own story
The initial rollout in late March 2026 will expand access to active duty, National Guard and Reserve, and DOW civilian personnel with a Common Access Card.
Users will also have an opportunity to enter self-reported information that might be missing, such as specific deployments, garrison locations, or other environmental exposure updates. This helps make their story as complete and accurate as possible.
The VA is forecasted to offer similar access and self-reporting capabilities to veterans starting in the fall of 2026.
A critical tool for health care providers
This initiative also marks a significant step forward for medical personnel. Both DOW and VA clinicians are using ILER information to better understand a patient’s exposure story, leading to more informed care.
“By using ILER, we’re not only strengthening individual care — you’re supporting force readiness, and long-term health outcomes,” added Jones.
Designed to complement existing electronic health records like MHS GENESIS, ILER provides real-time access to available exposure data that can inform risk assessments, screenings, and early interventions. This broader federal commitment to compiling and making available exposure data creates more transparency. Health stories of service members and veterans will be better heard and recorded.
To learn more about how you can access and contribute to your health narrative, visit Health.mil/ILER for common questions and answers, facts, and a training video.
Story by Derik Crotts
Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Health Affairs/Military Health System