VA Presumptive Disability Benefits Factsheet

Presumptive Disability Benefits

What is "Presumptive" Service Connection?

VA presumes that certain disabilities were caused by military service. This is because of the unique circumstances of a specific Veteran's military service. If a presumed condition is diagnosed in a Veteran within a certain group, they can be awarded disability compensation.

What are "Presumptive" Conditions?

If you are diagnosed with a chronic disease within one year of active duty release, you should apply for disability compensation. Examples of chronic disease include: arthritis, diabetes or hypertension.

Or, if you served continuously for at least 90 days and are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after discharge, you can establish service connection for the disease.

Veterans in the following groups may qualify for "presumptive" disability benefits:

? Former prisoners of war who: o Have a condition that is at least 10 percent disabling

? Vietnam Veterans who were: o Exposed to Agent Orange o Served in the Republic of Vietnam or on a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia between Jan. 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975

? Atomic Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation and who experienced one of the following: o Participated in atmospheric nuclear testing o Occupied or were prisoners of war in Hiroshima or Nagasaki o Served before Feb. 1, 1992, at a diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky, Portsmouth, Ohio or Oak Ridge, Tennessee o Served before Jan. 1, 1974, at Amchitka Island, Alaska

? Gulf War Veterans who: o Served in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations o Have a condition that is at least 10 percent disabling by Dec. 31, 2021

? Gulf War Deployed Veterans who: o Served in the Southwest Theater of Operations during the Persian Gulf War o Served in Afghanistan, Syria, Djibouti or Uzbekistan on or after September 19, 2001

See the table below for specific presumed conditions for these groups:

Former Prisoners of War

Vietnam Veterans

Atomic Veterans

Gulf War Veterans

Gulf War Deployed Veterans

Imprisoned for any ? AL amyloidosis ? All forms of

Medically

Served any length of

length of time:

? B-cell leukemia

? Psychosis

? Chronic

? Any anxiety state lymphocytic

? Dysthymic

leukemia

disorder

? Type 2 diabetes ?

? Organic residuals ? Hodgkin's disease

of frostbite

? Ischemic heart

? Post- traumatic

disease

osteoarthritis ? Non-Hodgkin's

? Heart disease or lymphoma

hypertensive ? Parkinson's

vascular disease disease

? Stroke and the ? Parkinsonism

residual effects ? Prostate cancer

Imprisoned for at ? Respiratory

least 30 days:

cancers

? Beriberi ? Chronic

? Soft-tissue sarcoma (not

?

dysentery ? Helminthiasis ? Malnutrition

including osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, ?

(including optic atrophy)

Kaposi's sarcoma or mesothelioma)?

? Pellagra

? Bladder cancer

? Other nutritional ? Hypothyroidism

deficiencies The following

?

? Irritable bowel conditions, if they

syndrome

become greater than

? Peptic ulcer 10 percent

disease

debilitating within a

? Peripheral

year of exposure to

neuropathy

an herbicide agent:

? Cirrhosis of the ? Acute and

liver

subacute

peripheral

neuropathy

leukemia, except unexplained chronic time in the qualifying

chronic

multi-symptom area and a condition

lymphocytic illnesses that exist below becomes

leukemia

for six months or manifest to any

Cancer of the more, such as:

degree within 10

thyroid, breast, ? Chronic fatigue years from the date

pharynx,

syndrome

of separation from

esophagus,

? Fibromyalgia military service:

stomach, small ? Irritable bowel ? Asthma

intestine,

syndrome

? Rhinitis

pancreas, bile ? Any diagnosed or ? Sinusitis, to

ducts, gall

undiagnosed

include

bladder, salivary illness that

rhinosinusitis

gland, urinary

warrants a

tract, brain,

presumption of

bone, lung, colon service

or ovary

connection, as

Bronchiolo-

determined by

alveolar

the Secretary of

carcinoma

Veterans Affairs

Multiple

Signs or symptoms of

myeloma

an undiagnosed

Lymphomas, illness include:

other than

? Fatigue

Hodgkin's disease? Skin symptoms

Primary liver ? Headaches

cancer, except if ? Muscle pain

there are

? Joint pain

indications of cirrhosis or hepatitis B

? Neurological symptoms

? Sleep disturbance

? GI symptoms

? Cardiovascular

symptoms

? Weight loss

? Menstrual

? Chloracne or

disorders

other similar

acneform disease

? Porphyria

cutanea tarda

Updated August 2021

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