A burn pit at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, in 2010. The Department of Veterans Affairs just updated a database covering servicemembers’ potential exposure to toxic chemicals emanating from burn pits while in the military. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday that it rolled out an updated registry of veterans’ exposure to burn pits and other toxic substances while on active service, a move that came after months of delay in launching a more user-friendly version of the research database.
The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry collects data from veterans and servicemembers on their possible exposure to hazardous chemicals and airborne contaminants while serving abroad. VA said the database allows it “to identify and research health challenges of veterans and service members who were exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits during their military service.”
The revamped registry includes automatic registration for veterans, with the choice to opt-out those who do not wish to participate. The latest iteration also expands participation criteria, including veterans who served in specific theaters since August 1990.
Veterans enrolled in the previous iteration of the registry were also automatically transitioned over to the new system. VA said the new system will include over 4.7 million veterans and activity duty personnel “ who meet participation criteria ,” based on DOD records.
VA Undersecretary for Health Shereef Elnahal said in a statement that the registry has no bearing on veterans’ benefits or services but that “it does serve as a catalyst for advancing new and innovative treatments for the veteran population as a whole.”
"This redesign massively expands the registry and reduces the participation requirements for veterans, paving the way for critical research in the coming years,” he added.
The department said the modernization effort came after “extensive feedback” from veterans demonstrated that “the burden of entry to participate in the program was too great.”
The initial launch of the registry in 2014 faced delays and led to bipartisan criticism about VA’s slow development of the congressionally mandated database. Almost 10 years later, lawmakers lobbed similar concerns at the department.
Bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced in June by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., […]
VA launches revamped burn pit registry with automatic enrollment
