As part of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) six-month campaign on Military Environmental Exposure, they are gearing up to raise awareness and encourage Veterans of all eras to file compensation claims if they believe they were exposed to hazardous materials while serving in the military.

The campaign includes one 30-second television (TV) spot and one 30-second radio Public Service Announcement that will begin airing in late January through national and local outlets across the country.

In May 2021, VA started implementing provisions of P.L. 116-283, the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), adding bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinsonism to the list of medical conditions presumptively associated with exposure to Agent Orange for Vietnam Veterans.

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/publications/agent-orange/agent-orange-2021/presumptions.asp

Just a few months later, VA added asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis (to include rhinosinusitis) on a presumptive basis based on particulate matter exposures during military service in Southwest Asia and other areas.

https://www.va.gov/durham-health-care/news-releases/disability-claims-for-asthma-sinusitis-rhinitis-for-veterans-who-served-in-southwest-asia/

With the addition of six exposure-related presumptive conditions over the course of the last year, VBA believes campaigns like this are critical to inform Veterans of the benefits available to them and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) supports this. Therefore, we encourage to share this information and the link to watch the Public Service Announcement. The Public Service Announcement can be found and distributed by using this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhCi8QKb_EU.

Feel free to review the above links for Agent Orange and Southwest-Asia Exposures and contact your local National Service Office for any questions.