Burn pits were open-air waste disposal sites used by the U.S. military at bases in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations. Everything from military equipment to medical and human waste was burned — releasing toxic smoke containing dioxins, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and other carcinogens.
Millions of veterans were exposed to burn pit smoke during their service. The Department of Defense operated over 250 burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan alone. For years, the VA denied claims related to burn pit exposure because veterans couldn't prove a direct medical nexus between the smoke and their conditions. The PACT Act changed that.
The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 did three major things:
The following conditions are now presumptively service-connected for veterans with qualifying toxic exposure:
Additionally, the PACT Act expanded Gulf War presumptives to include undiagnosed illnesses for veterans who served anywhere in Southwest Asia — not just the Gulf War theater.
If you answered yes to any of the first three AND have a covered condition, you likely qualify for presumptive service connection.
Go to veterans.va.gov/airborne-hazards and complete the registry questionnaire. This isn't required to file a claim, but it documents your exposure and strengthens your file. Registration also triggers a VA health evaluation.
This is the standard VA disability claim form. List your condition(s) and note that you're filing under the PACT Act for toxic exposure. The VA should automatically apply the presumptive status.
Even with presumptive status, your claim is stronger with documentation:
The VA was required to automatically review denials for PACT Act conditions issued before the law passed. However, the review process has been slow. If you received a denial before August 2022 for a covered condition, file a supplemental claim now — don't wait for the automatic review. The effective date of a supplemental claim can be preserved if filed properly.
The VA's automatic review process for past denials has been inconsistent. If you were denied for a burn pit-related condition before the PACT Act, proactively filing a supplemental claim with new evidence is faster and preserves your effective date.
Not every condition is covered by presumptive status. If your condition isn't on the PACT Act list, you'll still need to establish a nexus between your burn pit exposure and your specific condition. A private medical opinion linking your condition to toxic exposure is the most effective way to do this. Ask your doctor to reference the medical literature on burn pit toxicology.
Despite presumptive status, some claims are still denied — often because the VA questions whether the veteran served in a covered location, or disputes the diagnosis. If denied:
Our free assessment checks your PACT Act eligibility and connects you with VA-accredited specialists who handle toxic exposure claims.
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