The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced the completely redesigned Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (Burn Pit Registry), helping to enable VA executive leaders and researchers with the capability to understand and ultimately improve treatment and care practices for the health challenges Veterans face after exposure to airborne hazards and burn pits during service.

The improved research and data capability of the redesigned Burn Pit Registry does help to better identify and study health challenges spanning the Veteran and service member population. This, in turn, can lead to improved care and benefits of Veterans and service members. Participation in or opting out of the registry has no impact nor does it determine eligibility for Veterans’ individual VA health care or benefits.

“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,” said Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. “While the registry does not impact an individual Veteran’s health care or benefits, it does serve as a catalyst for advancing new and innovative treatments for the Veteran population as a whole — including informing decisions related to presumptive conditions, more precise predictive medicine, and proactive Veteran care. This redesign massively expands the registry and reduces the participation requirements for Veterans, paving the way for critical research in the coming years.”

Did You Know?

• Registry Participation is Voluntary.
• Participation has no impact on eligibility for VA health care and benefits.
• No medical information will be stored in the registry.

Many Veterans Who Deployed After 1990 Automatically Added to Registry

Veterans and service members who served in the military campaigns or theater of operations listed below during the designated time frame– based on information from the Department of Defense (DoD)  will automatically be included.

• 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
• The 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 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 Department of Defense Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Lester Martinez-Lopez, M.D. “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.”

How Do I Opt Out?

The data included in the registry includes deployment locations, military personnel information, and demographics to include gender, race, and ethnicity. Again, no medical information will be stored in the registry. 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.

Veterans who wish to opt out of participation and auto enrollment can complete this online form.

Learn More

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/registry.asp