Effective March 5, 2024, all veterans exposed to toxins or other hazards during their service can now directly enroll in VA healthcare. Whether you served in Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, and other combat zones before or after 9/11, or were exposed to toxins and hazards while training or serving stateside, you’re eligible.
Some examples VA gives for toxins and hazards include:
air pollutants (burn pits, sand, dust, particulates, oil well fires, sulfur fires) chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, depleted uranium with embedded shrapnel, contaminated water) occupational hazards (asbestos, industrial solvents, lead, paints including chemical agent resistant coating, firefighting foams) radiation (nuclear weapons handling, maintenance and detonation, radioactive material, calibration and measurement sources, X-rays, radiation from military occupational exposure) warfare agents (nerve agents, chemical and biological weapons)
If you were a veteran or know of veterans who were exposed to toxins during military service and you’d like to learn more about how this impacts you or enroll in VA health care, read more at VA.gov.
