The regulation on service connection for claims involving ionizing radiation exposure requires:
- Exposure based on participation in certain events/circumstances during service
- Development of a radiogenic disease
- The veteran must have developed the radiogenic disease within the specified time period
The specific requirements that must be met in order to establish service connection for disabilities resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation can be found here. Below we will give an overview of each requirement and the VA presumptives for radiation exposure.
Requirement #1 – Exposure
Ionizing radiation is a form of radiation that contains enough energy to damage DNA in cells. According to the VA, a veteran who served in any of the following instances may have been exposed to ionizing radiation:
- Fukushima Nuclear Accident – Veterans who served in Japan between March 12, 2011 and May 11, 2011 may have been exposed to low doses of radiation following the disaster.
- Radiation-Risk Activity – Includes participation in nuclear weapons testing or the American occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- Military Occupational Exposure – Veterans in certain military jobs may have been exposed during routine duties.
- Depleted Uranium – Particularly relevant for Gulf War veterans, when shrapnel from munitions becomes embedded in tissue.
- LORAN Radiation – U.S. Coast Guard veterans stationed at Long Range Navigation (LORAN) stations (1942–2010) may have been exposed to X-rays from high-voltage vacuum tubes.
- McMurdo Station Nuclear Power Plant (Antarctica) – Operated by the Navy (1964–1973) before decommissioning due to a leak.
- Nose and Throat Radium Irradiation Treatments – Used during the 1940s–mid-1960s to prevent barotrauma in pilots, submariners, and divers.
- Radiation Therapy – In-service therapeutic radiation for treatment of disease or injury.
Additional Recognized Radiation-Risk Activities (Since 2022)
Under the PACT Act of 2022, the following three events were added to the list of recognized radiation-risk activities for presumptive exposure:
- Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll (Marshall Islands): January 1, 1977 – December 31, 1980
- Response to nuclear weapons accident in Palomares, Spain: January 17, 1966 – March 31, 1967
- Response to nuclear weapons accident at Thule Air Force Base, Greenland: January 21, 1968 – September 25, 1968
Veterans who participated in any of these are considered radiation-exposed veterans under VA law as of August 10, 2022.
Requirement #2 – Development of Radiogenic Disease
There are some conditions that the VA will presume were caused by ionizing radiation exposure. These VA presumptives include:
- Cancers of the bile ducts, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, gall bladder, liver (not if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated), lung, pancreas, pharynx, ovary, salivary gland, small intestine, stomach, thyroid, urinary tract (this includes kidney/renal, pelvis, urinary bladder, and uretha)
- Leukemia (exception is chronic lymphocytic leukemia)
- Lymphomas (exception is Hodgkin’s disease)
- Multiple myeloma
Those veterans that participated in radiation risk activity and have one of the above conditions can receive presumptive service connection.
The VA also recognizes that other conditions are POSSIBLY caused by ionizing radiation exposure, but does not ASSUME that the conditions resulted from such exposure. These non-presumptive conditions associated with radiation exposure include:
- All cancers
- Non-malignant thyroid nodular disease
- Parathyroid adenoma
- Posterior subcapsular cataracts
- Tumors of the brain and central nervous system
If a veteran is claiming service-connection for a disease that is NOT listed as a presumptive condition for radiation exposure, they will have to prove that their condition is related to military service. These claims are decided on a case by case basis and the VA will look at factors such as the length of time exposed to radiation, the severity of the radiation, and the length of time between exposure and manifestation of the disease.
Requirement #3 – Manifestation of Disease Within Specified Time Period
Proving exposure to ionizing radiation exposure and development of a disease is not enough to get service connection for your claim. You must also show that the disease began within a certain time period. The following time periods apply for claims involving exposure to ionizing radiation:
- Bone cancer must become manifest within 30 years after exposure
- Leukemia may become manifest at any time after exposure
- Posterior subcapsular cataracts must become manifest 6 months or more after exposure
- Other diseases must become manifest 5 years or more after exposure
VA Benefits for Radiation Exposure
Veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation during their military service can receive multiple types of VA disability benefits. These benefits include the following:
- Health Care – Veterans with exposure to ionizing radiation can receive a free health exam (Ionizing Radiation Registry Health Exam) to evaluate possible long-term health problems related to their exposure. Additionally, veterans may qualify for a full range of health care benefits.
- Disability Compensation – This is available for veterans that can prove the 3 requirements discussed above regarding service connection for ionizing radiation exposure claims.
- Survivors’ Benefits – Qualifying surviving spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents of veterans that died as a result of a disease cause of ionizing radiation exposure can receive benefits as long as the disease is service-connected.
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Radiation Exposure Compensation Act – This act provides benefits for veterans and others who developed certain diseases after being exposed to radiation released during atmospheric weapons testing. To learn more about this act, and how to file a claim under it, click here.
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