Veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation during military service have special claim provisions. This includes veterans who participated in atmospheric nuclear testing, who were part of the occupation forces at Hiroshima or Nagasaki, who served at certain nuclear facilities, or who were involved in nuclear cleanup operations. There are three pathways for radiation claims. First, certain cancers are presumptively service-connected for radiation-exposed veterans. These are called radiogenic diseases and the list includes many types of cancer. Second, conditions not on the presumptive list can still be service-connected through a dose estimate process where VA reconstructs your likely radiation exposure and a medical expert evaluates whether it was sufficient to cause your condition. Third, you can establish direct service connection with competent medical evidence linking your condition to radiation exposure. For the dose estimate pathway, VA forwards the claim to the Under Secretary for Health for a radiation dose estimate and then to the Under Secretary for Benefits for review. This process takes additional time but provides a thorough evaluation. If you believe you were exposed to radiation during service, gather any records you can about your duties, locations, and potential exposure incidents. Unit histories and personnel records can help establish exposure.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).