Veteran Groups & Toxic Exposure
Where you served and when can unlock presumptive service connection, no nexus required.
Toxic-exposure claims are driven by your unit, locations, and dates of service, not your job title alone. When you fall within a presumptive category, exposure plus a qualifying diagnosis can establish service connection without a medical nexus. Other populations, women veterans, Guard and Reserve members, atomic veterans, face their own distinct legal tests. Find yours below, with the governing regulations, the qualifying windows, the evidence that wins, and where the VA most often gets it wrong.
Map Your Exposure to a Presumptive Path
Presumptive service connection turns on where you served and when, not on your job title. Use the map below to match your locations and dates to a presumptive category. If you land in one, a qualifying diagnosis can connect without a medical nexus. If you do not, you may still have a direct or TERA path. Either way, have your orders and dates ready.
Toxic Exposure: What the VA Now Presumes
If you served in these places and times, the VA presumes exposure, you don’t have to prove it happened, only that you were there.
Burn Pits & Airborne Hazards
Gulf War & Post-9/11 (on or after Aug 2, 1990 / Sep 11, 2001)
Asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, many cancers, COPD
Agent Orange (Herbicides)
Vietnam (1962–1975), Thailand, Korean DMZ + Blue Water Navy
Diabetes II, ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s, prostate cancer
Camp Lejeune Water
Aug 1953 to Dec 1987 (30+ cumulative days)
Kidney/liver cancer, Parkinson’s, bladder cancer, leukemia
Radiation & Gulf War Illness
Atomic veterans; Gulf War undiagnosed illnesses
Certain cancers, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, GI issues
Presumption is powerful, but not automatic. You still must file, get a current diagnosis, and be rated. We build the exposure record the VA expects to see.
Real Veterans. Real Claims. Real Outcomes.
Every case on this desk belongs to someone who served. These are the veterans this practice represents, across every era, branch, and condition: the Vietnam vet who was told it was too late, the Gulf War vet the system called a mystery, the young veteran who walked out of a five minute exam with a zero. Different stories, same fight. The record decides the claim, so we build the record.
Veteran Representation
Veteran Representation
Veteran RepresentationThe Exam Behind Toxic-Exposure Claims
Burn-pit and airborne-hazard conditions are documented in the respiratory and cardiac exam series. Here is what that exam covers. Even on a presumptive claim, the exam still sets your rating. Bring your test results, a list of your symptoms and how often they flare, and anything that shows how your breathing or heart limits work and daily life.
VA Claim Exams: Respiratory, Cardiology, Ear/Nose/Throat
Your VA Claim Exam: What to Expect
Tips to Prepare for Your VA Claim Exam
