Public Health

VA and DOD - Working to encourage registry awareness and enrollment

VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) have been working to increase awareness of and encourage enrollment in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR).

• VA is planning multiple focus groups across the U.S. to better understand Veterans’ and service members’ familiarity with the AHOBPR and barriers or facilitators to participation. The focus group sessions will also aim to generate ideas on messaging and distribution channels to promote the registry. The focus groups will be invitation-only to ensure all potential audiences are represented and will include Veterans and active duty or Reservist service members representing all military branches.
• DoD sent an electronic notification encouraging active duty service members to participate in the AHOPBR in its August 2019 “Leave and Earnings Statement” notification. This effort resulted in a spike in the number of registry participants in late August.
• VA and DoD staff met with Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representatives, including representatives from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, in October 2019. Together, they discussed the AHOBPR, including a registry overview and progress report, benefits, and communications efforts from VA and DoD.
• VA and DoD hold the Airborne Hazards Symposium, an annual meeting to discuss clinical care, surveillance, education and outreach, and research on airborne hazards and the AHOBPR. The symposium includes subject matter experts from VA and DoD and representatives from VSOs to provide insight on the needs of Veterans. The symposium is not open to the public because experts discuss internal processes and in-progress research among VA and DoD to improve care, communication, and research for Veterans and service members.

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