Public Health

The Burn Pit Registry: What You Need to Know

In 2014, VA launched the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry for Veterans and Servicemembers who were exposed to open air burn pits at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. It contains health information collected from thousands of Veterans and active duty Servicemembers who completed a questionnaire online. VA is studying the health of exposed Veterans and Servicemembers through the Burn Pit Registry and other research efforts.

If you are a Veteran or Servicemember who served in eligible locations you can participate in the Burn Pit Registry. Even if you do not have any current symptoms, VA encourages you to take part.

Here’s what you need to know about the Burn Pit Registry:

1. The Burn Pit Registry tells VA about your exposures.
By completing an online questionnaire, Veterans and Servicemembers can use the Burn Pit Registry to report their exposures and related health concerns, and to document their health. As the long-term effects of exposure to airborne hazards during service are still relatively unknown, documenting exposures early ensures that participants will be monitored over time and that VA can improve programs to provide the necessary health care and resources should any health problems emerge.

Burn Pit Registry Key Findings
(click image to see full infographic)

2. The registry provides a summary of your health for you and your health care providers.
The Burn Pit Registry helps participants to become more aware of their own health and allows them to receive updates about ongoing VA studies and treatments. It also helps researchers to study the health effects of burn pits and other airborne hazards, resulting in better long-term health care from VA for current and future Veterans and Servicemembers. Those who are eligible can get an optional, no-cost, in-person medical evaluation.

3. Many Veterans who deployed after 1990 are eligible to join the registry.
VA uses deployment information from the Department of Defense (DoD) to determine eligibility for the Burn Pit Registry. To be eligible, you must be a Veteran or Servicemember who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations at any time on or after August 2, 1990, or Afghanistan or Djibouti on or after September 11, 2001. This includes the following countries, bodies of water, and the airspace above these locations:

• 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, and Red Sea

4. Sign up for the Burn Pit Registry in three easy steps.
To sign up for the Burn Pit Registry, visit https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry.

Step 1: Make sure you have a DoD Self-Service Level 2 Logon (Premium DS Logon Level 2) account. If you don't already have one, you can apply for a DS Logon account. Find the link at https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry. While a Premium DS Logon Level 2 account is required to access the registry at this time, VA is exploring other ways to access the registry website in the future.

Step 2: Complete and submit the online questionnaire. The questionnaire takes about 40 minutes to complete. You can complete it all at once, or log out and return later.

Step 3: Print and save your completed questionnaire for your records. You can use your completed questionnaire when talking to a health care provider about your exposures.

5. Technical support is available for the registry.
Call the Registry Help Desk at 1-877-470-5947 from 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern Standard Time Monday through Friday to get questions answered and for help with any technical problems you might experience while registering. Frequently asked questions and answers about the registry are also available at https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/index.html#page/faq.

Learn More

To learn more about burn pits and burn pit research, visit www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/index.asp. For more information on the Burn Pit Registry, and to sign up, visit https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry.

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