ATTENTION VETERANS: VA Makes Several Cancers Presumptive for Service Connection

This decision lowers the burden of proof for veterans to receive no-cost health care and earned benefits.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On January 8, the outgoing Biden Administration issued a press release through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notifying veterans that additional cancers have been added to the growing list of presumptive conditions for Gulf War Veterans and Post 9/11 Veterans.

According to the announcement, the following cancers are now considered presumptive for Gulf War Veterans and Post 9/11 Veterans:

  • acute and chronic leukemias
  • multiple myelomas
  • myelodysplastic syndromes
  • myelofibrosis
  • urinary bladder
  • ureter and related genitourinary cancers

These recent additions are the result of the PACT Act, a law enacted in August 2022 that expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic
substances.

It is estimated that VA denied almost 80% of the disability claims from 2007 to 2020 submitted by veterans who where exposed to burn pits. The PACT Act removes the requirement that veterans prove that burn pits caused their illness. It also entitles veterans to retroactive pay who did not receive care for their illnesses after claiming disability caused by burn pits.

“At VA, our goal is to provide every Veteran with the care and benefits that they’ve earned for their service to our nation—and that’s what this is all about,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “Adding these presumptive [conditions] lowers the burden of proof for Veterans to get the benefits they deserve for the conditions that followed them home from war. We encourage Veterans with these conditions—and all Veterans—to apply today for the benefits they deserve today.”

VA considers Post-9/11 Veterans to be those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Uzbekistan and the airspace above these locations during the Gulf War on or after Sept. 11, 2001. This includes veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after Sept. 11, 2001.

Gulf War Veterans are those who served in Somalia or the Southwest Asia theater of operations (which includes Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations) during the Persian Gulf War on or after Aug. 2, 1990.

VA encourages veterans with these conditions to apply for benefits today. It also encourages eligible veterans with previously denied claims to reapply. The department will continue to provide public updates and and conduct general outreach to veterans and survivors to inform them of this new eligibility and how to apply.

To apply for benefits, veterans and survivors may visit VA.gov or call 1-800-MYVA411.