Public Health

VA established the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR) in 2014 to help put data to work for Veterans through research about potential health effects of airborne hazard exposures.

By joining the registry, you can provide information to help us better understand whether long-term health conditions may be related to these exposures. Even if you have not experienced any symptoms or illnesses you believe are related to exposures during military service, your participation in the registry could help VA provide better care to all Veterans.

To check your eligibility for the registry and complete the online questionnaire, visit the secure registry portal.

• Participation in the registry is voluntary and cannot negatively impact your access to VA health care or your claim for compensation and benefits.
• You may save and submit your responses to the registry questionnaire and notes from optional medical assessment to support your VA claim if you choose.
• Completing the questionnaire can also help you proactively identify health concerns, discuss them with your health care provider, and get follow-up care.
• You can participate even if you do not recall any exposure to airborne hazards during your military service.

Registry Eligibility

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You are eligible to participate in the registry if you were deployed to the Southwest Asia theater of operations or Egypt any time after August 2, 1990 or Afghanistan, Djibouti, Syria, or Uzbekistan on or after September 11, 2001.

• Regions and countries include: Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Egypt.
• Operations and campaigns include: Desert Shield and Desert Storm (ODS/S), Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Enduring Freedom (OEF), and New Dawn (OND).

You do not have to have been exposed to specific airborne hazards or have related health concerns to participate in the registry.

While these hazards may have been present in other locations or during other time periods, participation in the registry is currently limited to support specific research and public health studies. Even if you are not eligible for the registry, we encourage all Veterans who are concerned that their military service has impacted their health to talk to their health care provider, apply for VA health care, and file a claim for compensation and benefits. You do not have to participate in the registry to receive compensation and benefits or health care from VA. 

To learn more about other types of military exposures, visit the military exposures homepage.

How to Participate

To participate, visit the secure registry portal and log in using your DSLogon credentials.

VA uses the DS Logon credentials issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) to help protect any personal health information (PHI) you may share via the registry. If you already have a VA MyHealtheVet premium account, you can use the same credentials to log into the burn pit registry. To apply for a new DSLogon account, please visit the VA Mobile Health site

• You may complete the questionnaire in one sitting or save and return later to complete it.
• When you are done, please save and/or print your questionnaire responses for your own records.
• You can also come back at any time to view or save your questionnaire responses or change your address or contact information.
• You may also share your questionnaire responses with your health care provider or submit them as documentation to support your VA claim if you choose.

Please Note: If you were deployed before 9/11, were a part of special forces, or were re-deployed within three months, you may get a notification in the registry portal that you do not have an eligible deployment. This is due to technical constraints but does not necessarily mean you are not eligible. To continue completing the questionnaire please click the blue banner stating “Request Eligibility Review” and follow the additional steps.

If you need technical support or assistance logging into the registry, call 1-877-470-5947.

Optional Health Evaluation

Once you complete the burn pit registry questionnaire, VA will contact you to schedule a free environmental health evaluation at your local VA medical facility, if you choose to have one. In some cases, these evaluations are performed by primary care providers and in other cases they may be completed by an environmental health clinician at special environmental hazard clinics or remotely via a telehealth appointment

• The evaluation is completely voluntary and is separate from the compensation and benefits evaluations or regular visits with your VA provider.
• Notes from your evaluation will be used to support research into the health effects of airborne hazards. Taking advantage of this exam cannot negatively impact your VA claim.
• You can save and submit your registry questionnaire and notes from the evaluation to support your claim.

We encourage all registry participants to take advantage of this free evaluation to help you better understand your health, document your exposures, and talk to your primary health care provider about your symptoms and treatment.

We also encourage all Veterans to apply for VA health care to proactively monitor and treat any health conditions that may be related to your military service.

View recent reports regarding registry participation. 

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