In this guide, we’ll explore Military Base Toxic Exposure Veterans Disability Benefits.
Your time in the military could have exposed you to more than just enemy fire. You also might have been exposed to highly toxic substances.
Military Base Toxic Exposure could qualify you for VA disability benefits and compensation if you developed a condition due to your toxic exposure.
There are more than 100 military bases that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers contaminated. Were you ever on one?
See our list below to see if you qualify for Military Base Toxic Exposure Veterans Disability Benefits.
- Military Base Toxic Exposure Veterans Disability Benefits
- Military Base Toxic Exposure List
- Types of Military Toxic Exposure and Presumptive Conditions
- NEED MORE ASSISTANCE?
Bottom Line Up Front
- You could be eligible for a VA disability rating of 0%-100% for your disability that was caused by military base toxic exposure.
- The EPA has put more than 100 US military bases on their list of Superfund sites.
- The VA recognizes several conditions caused by military toxic exposure as presumptive conditions.
- You don’t have to prove service connection for a presumptive condition qualifying you for Military Base Toxic Exposure Veterans Disability Benefits.
You DESERVE a HIGHER VA rating.
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Military Base Toxic Exposure Veterans Disability Benefits
Military Base toxic exposure can qualify you for a VA disability rating of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%.
What VA benefits are you entitled to if you experienced military base toxic exposure? Well, it all depends on what disability your exposure caused (and the severity of symptoms).
VA ratings are awarded based on the severity of your symptoms.
Typically, the more your life is negatively impacted by your symptoms, the higher the rating percentage you’re awarded. Depending on your symptoms, you could be eligible for a 100% VA disability rating. In 2024, the projected 100% disability compensation rate begins at $3734.23 monthly (single, no dependents).
Read the VA Disability Pay Chart, to see the entire VA disability pay chart.
The less severe your symptoms, the lower the percentage you’re awarded. You can even be awarded a 0% rating which doesn’t get you any monthly compensation but does come with other benefits like VA healthcare.
Check out this list of VA disability benefits by percentage!
0% VA Rating Benefits
- Enrollment in VA Healthcare Priority Group 6
- Pay for travel to treatment of service-connected conditions
- 10-point veteran preference for federal jobs
- Access to commissaries, exchanges, morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online
- Burial and plot allowance (only available to compensable 0% ratings)
10% VA Rating Benefits
- Projected monthly compensation of $171.06 in 2024
- Enrollment in Priority Group 3 (free outpatient and inpatient care and up to 3 free urgent care visits per calendar year)
- VA-backed home loan fee waiver
- Access to Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) support programs
- Pay for travel to treatment of service-connected conditions
- 10-point veteran preference for federal jobs
- Access to commissaries, exchanges, morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online
- Burial and plot allowance
20% VA Rating Benefits
- Projected monthly compensation of $338.16 in 2024
- Enrollment in Priority Group 3 (free outpatient and inpatient care and up to 3 free urgent-care visits per calendar year)
- Access to Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) support programs
- Burial and plot allowance
- VA-backed home loan fee waiver
- Pay for travel to treatment of service-connected conditions
- 10-point veteran preference for federal jobs
- Access to commissaries, exchanges, morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online
30% VA Rating Benefits
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $523.80 (single, no dependents) in 2024
- Enrollment in Priority Group 2 for service-connected disabilities (free outpatient and inpatient care and up to 3 free urgent-care visits per calendar year)
- Pay for travel to all VA Healthcare appointments(not just care for service-connected conditions)
- Access to Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) support programs
- Burial and plot allowance
- VA-backed home loan fee waiver
- 10-point veteran preference for federal jobs
- Access to commissaries, exchanges, morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online
40% VA Rating Benefits
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $754.55 (single, no dependents) in 2024
- Enrollment in Priority Group 2 for service-connected disabilities (free outpatient and inpatient care and up to 3 free urgent-care visits per calendar year)
- Pay for travel to all VA Healthcare treatments(not just care for service-connected conditions)
- Access to Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) support programs
- Burial and plot allowance
- VA-backed home loan fee waiver
- 10-point veteran preference for federal jobs
- Access to commissaries, exchanges, morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online
50% VA Rating Benefits
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $1074.12 (single, no dependents) in 2024
- Enrollment in Priority Group 1 for service-connected disabilities (no-cost VA Healthcare and prescription medication and up to 3 free urgent-care visits per calendar year)
- You could qualify for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) or Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) if you’re receiving military retirement pay and are 60 years or older
- Pay for travel to all VA Healthcare facilities (not just care for service-connected conditions)
- Access to Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) support programs
- Burial and plot allowance
- VA-backed home loan fee waiver
- Pay for travel to treatment of service-connected conditions
- 10-point veteran preference for federal jobs
- Access to commissaries, exchanges, morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online
60% VA Rating Benefits
A 60% VA disability rating comes with all of the benefits of 50%, plus:
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $1,360.56 (single, no dependents) in 2024
- Individual Unemployability (must be unemployable due to service connected disabilities)
- Dependents Educational Assistance (unemployable condition must be considered permanent)
- Special restorative training
- CHAMPVA–Civilian Health and Medical Program (unemployable condition must be considered permanent)
- Dental care (if rated unemployable)
70% VA Rating Benefits
A 70% VA disability rating comes with all of the benefits of 60%, plus:
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $1,714.61 (single, no dependents) in 2024
80% VA Rating Benefits
An 80% VA disability rating comes with all of the benefits of 60%, plus:
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $1,993.08 (single, no dependents) in 2024
90% VA Rating Benefits
A 90% VA disability rating comes with all of the benefits of 60%, plus:
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $2,239.73 (single, no dependents) in 2024
100% VA Rating Benefits
A 100% VA disability rating comes with all of the benefits of 60%, plus:
- Projected monthly disability compensation starting at $3,734.23 (single, no dependents) in 2024
- No-cost dental care
- Dependents Educational Assistance (must be considered permanent)
- Restorative training
- CHAMPVA–Civilian Health and Medical Program (must be considered permanent)
Military Base Toxic Exposure List
This list of military bases, depots, munition plants, airfields, and naval yards all come from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of Superfund sites.
Superfund sites are locations the EPA has identified as being contaminated by a toxic substance(s) and are now in the process of being cleaned up. “Superfund” is another name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) which was passed into law in 1980.
The law created a tax on chemical and oil companies used to help fund the EPA’s cleanup efforts. It also gave the EPA the authority to clean up contaminated sites and to force those responsible to either do the cleanup or reimburse the government for the cleanup costs.
Types of Military Toxic Exposure and Presumptive Conditions
There is a long list of toxins you could have been exposed to during your time in the military. The toxins on the list below are specific to US military bases and other facilities.
The lists of signs of exposure below are not all-inclusive. There are many more signs of exposure for most to these toxins.
We’ve also listed the presumptive conditions below each exposure type.
Presumptive conditions are ratable disabilities the VA automatically assumes were caused by your military service. You do not have to prove service connection for presumptive conditions as long as you meet the service requirements.
Congress and the VA create presumptive disabilities whenever enough service members with similar service records develop the same conditions.
However, not all of the exposure types below have presumptive conditions. For those, you’ll still need to prove service connection, which requires:
- You have a current injury or illness affecting your mind or body.
And
- You served on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training.
And ONE of the following must be true:
- You got sick or injured while on active duty and can link the condition to your injury or illness
- You had an injury or illness before joining the military, and your time in the service worsened the condition
- You have a disability related to your active-duty service that didn’t appear until after you ended your service.
Asbestos
You may have had contact with asbestos (toxic fibers once used in many buildings and products) during your time in the military. Certain components, such as the soundproof lining in some helicopters, contained asbestos.
Signs of Asbestos Poisoning
- Shortness of breath.
- Persistent dry cough.
- Chest tightness or chest pain.
- Weight loss from loss of appetite.
- A dry, crackling sound in the lungs while breathing in.
- Wider and rounder than normal fingertips and toes (clubbing)
Possible Effects of Asbestos Exposure
- Asbestosis
- Mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Colon cancer
NOTE: There are currently no presumptive conditions for Asbestos Exposure
Contact with Mustard Gas or Lewisite
If you served in any of these locations, you could have been exposed to Mustard Gas or Lewisite.
Signs of Mustard Gas or Lewisite Contact
- Irritation, pain, swelling, and tearing in the eyes
- Runny nose, sneezing, hoarseness, bloody nose, sinus pain, shortness of breath, and cough
- Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
- Low blood
Presumptive Mustard Gas or Lewisite Conditions
- Chronic conjunctivitis
- keratitis (inflammation of the cornea)
- corneal opacities
- scar formation.
- Acute nonlymphocytic leukemia
- nasopharyngeal cancer
- laryngeal cancer
- lung cancer (except mesothelioma)
- squamous cell carcinoma of the skin
- Chronic laryngitis
- Chronic Bronchitis
- Chronic Emphysema
- Asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Contaminated Drinking Water at Camp Lejeune
If you were at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between August 1953 and December 1987, you could be at risk of certain illnesses believed to be caused by contaminants found in the drinking water during that time.
Signs of Contaminated Drinking Water Exposure
- Gastrointestinal Problems
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Intestinal or Stomach Cramping
- Intestinal or Stomach Aches and Pains
- Dehydration
Presumptive Contaminated Drinking Water Conditions
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
Project 112 or Project SHAD
Service members who took part in Project 112 or Project SHAD between 1962 and 1974 could have developed illnesses due to chemical exposure.
At this time, there are no presumptive conditions recognized by the VA for participation in Projects 112 and SHAD.
Radiation exposure
If you were part of nuclear weapons testing, nuclear cleanup efforts, the Department of Energy’s Special Exposure Cohort, or were assigned to a gaseous diffusion plant, you could have been exposed to ionized radiation.
Presumptive Radiation Exposure Conditions
- Cancers of the bile ducts, bone, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, gallbladder, liver (primary site, but not if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated), lung (including bronchioloalveolar cancer), pancreas, pharynx, ovary, salivary gland, small intestine, stomach, thyroid, urinary tract (kidney/renal, pelvis, urinary bladder, and urethra)
- Leukemia (except chronic lymphocytic leukemia)
- Lymphomas (except Hodgkin’s disease)
- Multiple myeloma (cancer of plasma cells)
NEED MORE ASSISTANCE?
Do you qualify for Military Base toxic exposure veterans benefits? The truth is most veterans are underrated for their disabilities and, therefore, not getting their due compensation. At VA Claims Insider, we help you understand and take control of the claims process, so you can get the rating and compensation you’re owed by law.
Our process takes the guesswork out of filing a VA disability claim and supports you every step of the way in building a fully-developed claim (FDC)—so you can increase your rating FAST!
If you’ve filed your VA disability claim and have been denied or have received a low rating—or you’re unsure how to get started—reach out to us! Take advantage of a FREE VA Claim Discovery Call. Learn what you’ve been missing—so you can FINALLY get the disability rating and compensation YOU DESERVE!
