Aiming to include data from 4.7 million Veterans who served in locations with potentially dangerous air quality, the Department of Veterans Affairs has overhauled its Burn Pit Registry. The Burn Pit Registry is a database that collects service member data to help VA better understand, research, and ultimately improve treatment for the health challenges faced by Veterans exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits during their military service.
The VA says that changes to the registry—including automatic enrollment based on DOD records— greatly reduce the burden of Veteran participation. The registry also features simple opt-out procedures for those who wish to not participate.
The original database came under fire from Veteran advocacy groups which argued that it required a lengthy and intrusive application that explored veterans' personal habits, such as smoking, that could be cited as a source for illness; a voluntary physical exam; and no means for adding deceased veterans.
The VA says, “participating in the registry does not have an impact on your VA health care or benefits, but it does help VA better understand the challenges that the Veteran population faces as a whole.”
The new registry will include veterans who served in the following campaigns or combat theaters, according to the VA and DoD:
- Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Iraqi Freedom; Enduring Freedom; and New Dawn.
- 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 between Aug. 2, 1990, and Aug. 31, 2021.
- Somalia since Aug. 2, 1990.
- The Southwest Asia theater of military operations and Egypt any time after Aug. 2, 1990.
- Afghanistan, Djibouti, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan or Yemen any time after Sept. 11, 2001.
- Associated airspaces with the countries listed above, as well as the waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea.
For more on the Burn Pit Registry, the VA has published a series of FAQs online.
