How to reach a doctor about a military exposure, the words that get it written into your record, the direct line and email for the exposure clinician at your own VA medical center, and every VA registry explained — all on this page.
The distance between I know what I was exposed to and a claim VA can grant is almost always one thing: a medical record that never mentions the exposure. Nobody asks. A civilian doctor will not ask what you burned in a pit at Bagram, and a VA primary care provider seeing you for a cough has fifteen minutes and no reason to guess. So it never gets typed into the note, and years later a rating decision says there is no evidence of exposure — not because you were not exposed, but because no clinician ever wrote it down.
You can fix that with a phone call and one sentence. This page is the whole path in one place: the three numbers that start it, the name and direct line of the environmental health coordinator at your own VA medical center, the words to use on the phone and in the exam room, and the six VA registry and surveillance programs with what each one actually does. None of it is a diagnosis, none of it replaces your doctor, and none of it requires a lawyer, a rating, or a dollar. If you want a second set of eyes on your file afterward, we are at the bottom of the page.
Pick up the phone
Try them in this order. The first one exists for exposure and nothing else, which is why it is first — most veterans have never heard of it.
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET
Veterans Exposure Team — Health Outcomes Military Exposures. A free telehealth evaluation with a clinician trained specifically in military environmental exposures, available to any veteran enrolled in VA health care anywhere in the United States or its territories. The clinician documents your exposure history, answers exposure questions, recommends testing, and VA mails you a letter with the results and what they mean. They also run the registry evaluations, which do not require health-care enrollment.
What they do not do: prescribe medication, or complete disability claim forms.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
One number, any hour, for everything. Ask to be put through to the scheduling line at your own VA medical center, or ask for the environmental health coordinator at your facility by that title. If you get stuck in a menu, press 0 for a person.
Use this when you have a facility but not a phone number, or a question but not a department.
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
Enrollment in VA health care is what unlocks VA primary care and the toxic exposure screening. Under the PACT Act, many veterans who were turned away years ago are eligible now, so do not assume an old answer still applies. Enrolling does not mean giving up your own doctor, and it is not the same thing as filing a claim.
Enrolling in health care and filing a disability claim are two separate processes. Neither requires the other.
If this is a crisis, that call comes first
Dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. The Veterans Crisis Line is staffed 24 hours a day. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care and you do not need a service-connected rating to use it. If it is a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room — do not drive yourself, and do not wait to reach a VA facility first. Tell VA within 72 hours afterward and keep every discharge paper and bill.
Your own VA, by name
Every VA medical center has an environmental health coordinator. That is the person who arranges an exposure evaluation and a registry examination, who can check whether you are already in the burn pit registry, and who knows how to get an exposure history into VA's record correctly. Most veterans have never been told that job exists, so they call a general number, get bounced, and give up.
Below is that list, copied from VA's own published directory — the facility, the address, the coordinator by name, the direct line with the extension, and the VA email address. Pick your state. If you would rather not travel, VET-HOME does the same evaluation by telehealth.
144 VA facilities, 52 states and territories
Pick your state above and you will get the coordinator by name, the direct line with the extension, and the VA email address. Then say one sentence: I served with a military environmental exposure, and I want an exposure evaluation and my exposure history documented in my record. That is the whole ask. You do not need a diagnosis, a rating, or a lawyer to make that call.
Not listed, number changed, or nobody picks up? Call VET-HOME at 833-633-8846 for a telehealth exposure evaluation anywhere in the country, or call MyVA411 at 800-698-2411 any hour and ask to be transferred to the environmental health coordinator at your facility. Every name and number above is copied from VA's own published list, verified July 2026. Source: VA Public Health coordinator list.
Word for word
Read it off the screen if you want to. Schedulers are not trying to block you — they are working from a script of their own, and these are the phrases that fit into it.
I am a veteran and I would like the next available appointment with my primary care provider. If you are not enrolled in VA health care yet, say instead: I am a veteran and I want to enroll in VA health care.
During my service I worked around — then name the hazards in plain words. Burn pits and smoke. JP-8 and jet exhaust. Solvents and degreasers. Paint and primer. Asbestos and lead. Herbicides. Contaminated drinking water. Radiation. Whatever it actually was.
I was at — then name every place and every year. Base, ship, camp, and the temporary duty nobody wrote down. Then name every job you actually did there, not only the one on your orders.
I want my exposure history documented in my record today, please. That sentence is the whole reason for the call.
I would also like my toxic exposure screening. VA is required to offer it to every enrolled veteran, an initial screening and then at least once every five years, and it takes about five to ten minutes.
And I want to talk about testing and a referral, because this has been going on for weeks rather than days. Then describe what changed — not what you think it is.
In the exam room
You have fifteen minutes and a clinician who is thinking about the complaint on the intake form. The goal of the visit is not to win an argument about causation — it is to get two facts into a dated note: what you were exposed to, and what your body is doing now. Everything else can follow later.
Go in with the exposure written on paper and the symptoms in a timeline. Describe what changed and when, not what you think it is. A clinician decides what any of it means, orders what is appropriate, and rules things in or out — that is their job and this page does not do it for them.
Do not try to remember all of this in the room
Fill in the free one-page exposure summary before you go, print it, and hand it over in the first minute. Unit, every location, every job you actually did, what you were around, and what has changed — on one page a clinician can read in thirty seconds and copy straight into the note.
1. I was exposed to these hazards, at these places, during these years, doing these jobs.
2. Please document that exposure history in today's note, and I would like a copy of the note before I leave.
That is it. Say those two things at a VA appointment, a community appointment, or a VET-HOME telehealth visit, and you have created the dated record that most denied claims are missing.
Before the appointment
You will get somewhere between ten and twenty minutes, and you are the only person in that room who was actually there. Nobody at VA can reconstruct your exposure for you, and no record will do it either — the military did not measure what you were breathing. So build the history yourself before you go. Answer these six questions on paper, take the paper in, and hand it over. A clinician who is handed a written exposure history writes a different note than one who is told “I think there was some burning.”
Do this for yourself even if you feel fine. Most of these illnesses take twenty to fifty years to surface, and the point of a baseline is that it exists before anything is wrong. That is the whole reason the registries exist.
Question one
Every place you were posted — not only the deployment printed on your DD-214. Temporary duty, port calls, exercises, the six weeks you filled in at another base, the training range you used every summer. Write a month and a year against each one. If the month is gone, the season and the year will do.
The exposure that gets left out is almost always a short stint nobody wrote orders for.
Question two
Not the MOS code, the task. “I burned the trash.” “I cleaned parts in an open solvent tank.” “I slept forty feet from the pit.” “I stripped brake linings.” “I sprayed the perimeter.” A job title tells a doctor nothing; a task tells them what to look for.
Two people with the same MOS can have completely different exposures. The task is the difference.
Question three
Doctors think in routes of entry, so hand them one. Did you breathe it, swallow it in the water or the ice or the food, get it on your skin, or get it into an open wound or a burn? More than one route can be true at once, and each one points at a different set of organs.
Route of entry is the single most useful sentence you can give a clinician, and it is the one veterans never think to say.
Question four
“Every shift for fourteen months” is evidence. “Sometimes” is not. Estimate hours a day and total months, and say plainly when you are estimating. A range you can defend beats a precise number you invented.
Dose and duration are what turn a story into a medical risk factor.
Question five
Was anything issued? Was it fit-tested? Did the filters get changed? Did anyone actually wear it in that heat, on that shift, under that tempo? “We had masks and nobody wore them” is a real answer and it belongs in your record exactly as it happened.
Missing or unused protection is not an admission of anything. It is part of the exposure history.
Question six
List the people who can write a buddy statement, and then list the people at home: whoever laundered your coveralls, whoever rode in the truck, whoever lived in the same base housing and drank the same water. Contamination travelled home on clothing, boots and skin, and some family members have programs of their own.
Family exposure is real, it is documented, and almost nobody raises it at the appointment.
Write it down once and reuse it forever. The same six answers feed your appointment, your registry evaluation, your buddy statements and your claim. We built a printable version so you are not doing it from memory in the waiting room.
Build your exposure sheetThe part nobody says out loud
Service connection stands on three legs. Knock one out and the claim falls over, no matter how strong the other two are. Veterans lose claims on the first leg more than any other, and it is the only leg they can do something about this week.
There is a fourth thing that never gets called a leg, and it is the one that quietly decides close cases: chronicity. VA is not only asking whether something happened in service and whether you have it now. It is asking what happened in between. A gap of fifteen years with nothing in any record invites the argument that whatever this is, it started after you got out. Every visit you report, every note that mentions the same symptoms again, is what closes that gap.
Leg one
Somebody with a medical licence has to examine you, name the condition, and put it in a record with a date on it. Symptoms you have never reported do not exist as far as a claim is concerned. This leg is the reason this page exists, and it is the leg veterans skip.
Leg two
Where you were and what you were in. Presumptive lists, a TERA determination and your service records all help carry this leg for you — which is exactly why so many veterans assume the whole claim is carried. It is not.
Leg three
Either a presumption supplies the link automatically, or a clinician writes an opinion that connects the diagnosis to the service. A presumption removes the argument about the link. It does not, and cannot, produce the diagnosis.
The one narrow exception. Under 38 CFR 3.317, a veteran who served in the Southwest Asia theater during the Gulf War can be compensated for a qualifying chronic disability that has never been diagnosed — an undiagnosed illness, or a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness. Even there, a clinician still has to document the symptoms, and document them over time. There is no version of this where you stay out of the exam room.
The order that works. Identify the exposure, say it to a doctor, get examined by somebody who knows what to look for, get the condition named, then file. A registry evaluation is the free, no-strings way to get the middle of that done.
Every registry, explained
Both options are free · No obligation
Tell us what happened and what the VA said. An accredited agent reads it and tells you honestly what he sees — no cost, no obligation. When you are ready to have us fight it, register and we start.
An accredited agent personally reviews every request — we’ll reach out within 48 hours. Or call 702-992-4883.
The programs, one by one
A registry evaluation is a one-time clinical assessment. VA documents your exposure history, examines you with that history in front of them, and sends you a letter with the results, what they mean, and what to follow up on. The population data is used anonymously for research. Taking part does not affect your care or your benefits, and registry evaluations are available whether or not you are enrolled in VA health care — call VET-HOME at 833-633-8846 to arrange one, or the coordinator at your own facility if you would rather be seen in person.
Two things a registry is not. It is not a claim, and nothing you do here starts or replaces one. And it is not proof of exposure on its own — being in a registry does not win a claim, and not being in one does not sink it. Treat these as free clinical attention plus a dated record, which is exactly what most files are short of.
There are four more programs outside this list — run by the Marine Corps, by NIOSH and by CDC rather than by VA — that cover people these six do not, including family members who never served. The registries page walks through all ten, how an evaluation actually runs, what keeps veterans away from them, and what your family should be doing.
Who it is for. Veterans who may have been exposed to herbicides, including Agent Orange, during service.
What happens. A free, exposure-focused health examination by a VA clinician, with your exposure history documented and a written summary of the findings.
It is not a disability exam, it is not a claim, and taking part does not commit you to filing anything.
Agent Orange Registry on VA Public Health
Who it is for. Veterans and service members who served in the listed operations and locations. Since August 1, 2024, VA and the Defense Department enroll eligible people automatically, from deployment records, for service between August 2, 1990 and August 31, 2021.
What happens. Nothing to sign up for, in most cases. If you enrolled yourself before the redesign, your enrollment carried over. To check your status, ask the environmental health coordinator at your facility.
The registry holds deployment and demographic data only — no medical information. It is optional, it is not required to file a claim, and it is not evidence of exposure on its own.
Open the burn pit registry
Who it is for. Veterans who served in the Gulf War and the Southwest Asia theater of operations.
What happens. A free registry examination and a documented exposure history, with a written summary of what was found and what to follow up on.
It is not the same thing as a claim, and it does not replace filing one. It also does not affect your eligibility for care or benefits either way.
Gulf War Registry on VA Public Health
Who it is for. Veterans who took part in a radiation-risk activity during service.
What happens. A free registry examination with your radiation exposure history documented in VA’s own record, plus a written summary.
It is not a claim and it is not a rating decision. It is a clinical assessment and a research record.
Radiation registry exam on VA Public Health
Who it is for. Veterans who were in or on a vehicle struck by depleted uranium rounds, who were near a fire or an explosion involving depleted uranium munitions or armor, or who were deployed to Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan.
What happens. Urine testing for uranium plus a clinical evaluation. Call VET-HOME at 833-633-8846 and ask to speak with a nurse about depleted uranium urine testing.
A normal result does not erase the exposure from your history, and it does not decide a claim.
Depleted uranium program on VA Public Health
Who it is for. Veterans carrying retained fragments from a blast injury — metal that was never removed.
What happens. Long-term surveillance and evaluation through VA’s Toxic Embedded Fragment Surveillance Center, because embedded metal can keep releasing into the body for decades.
It is a surveillance and evaluation program, not a claim, and not a substitute for treatment of the injury itself.
Embedded fragment center on VA Public HealthTurn this page into an appointment
Reading a symptom list changes nothing on its own. A dated note in your medical record does — for your health first, and years later for a claim. Below is every route to an appointment, the phrase that gets your exposure history written down, and the numbers to dial. Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and none of it replaces your doctor.
Some things do not wait for a scheduler
Chest pain or pressure lasting more than a few minutes, or chest pain with sweating, nausea, or pain spreading to the jaw or arm
Sudden trouble breathing, or breathlessness while sitting still
Face droop, weakness or numbness on one side, slurred speech, or sudden confusion
Coughing up or vomiting blood, or bleeding that will not stop
A first seizure, or fainting you cannot explain
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Do not wait to reach a VA facility first, and do not drive yourself. Tell VA as soon as you can afterward — VA asks to be notified within 72 hours of emergency care received in the community — and keep every discharge paper and bill.
The PACT Act requires VA to offer this to every veteran enrolled in VA health care. It takes about five to ten minutes, and it is the cheapest way to get your exposure history into VA's own record in VA's own words.
What it is
A short set of questions asking whether you believe you were exposed to open burn pits and other airborne hazards, Agent Orange, radiation, Gulf War-related hazards, or contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
Who can get it
Every veteran enrolled in VA health care. If you are not enrolled yet, enrollment comes first — call 877-222-8387.
How often
An initial screening, then at least once every five years. If you answer that you do not know whether you were exposed, VA schedules you again a year later.
How to get one
It is often done during a primary care or specialty visit — but you can ask for it sooner. Ask your primary care team directly, or ask your facility for its Toxic Exposure Screening Navigator by name.
What it is not
It is not an exam for any specific illness, and it is not part of the disability claims process. It is optional, and declining it does not affect your health care or your benefits.
Why bother
It creates a dated VA record that you raised military exposure. Years later, that entry is evidence that the concern predated the diagnosis.
A civilian or community provider cannot perform this screening — it lives inside VA's own health record. If you only see a private doctor, that is a reason to enroll in VA health care as well.
Since August 1, 2024, VA and the Defense Department enroll eligible veterans and service members in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry automatically, from deployment records. For most people there is nothing to sign up for.
Automatic enrollment covers service between August 2, 1990 and August 31, 2021 in the listed operations and locations — Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn, the Southwest Asia theater, Egypt, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and the associated airspace and waters.
You do not need to have been knowingly exposed, and you do not need any current health problem, to be included.
If you enrolled yourself before the redesign, your enrollment carried over. There is nothing to redo.
To check your status, contact the Environmental Health Coordinator at your VA facility.
The registry holds deployment and demographic data only. No medical information is stored in it.
Participation is optional and you can opt out. Being in the registry is not required to file a claim, and it does not affect your eligibility for care or benefits either way.
Being in the registry is not evidence of exposure on its own, and it is not a claim. Treat it as a research tool, and do not let anyone tell you a claim depends on it.
Write your job title and the places you served at the top of that sheet, in the words the military used for it.
VET-HOME — VA's exposure team
833-633-8846
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET
The number to call about a military environmental exposure specifically. VET-HOME books a free telehealth evaluation with a clinician trained in military exposures, and that clinician writes your exposure history into your VA record. Say you want a military environmental exposure assessment.
MyVA411 — VA main line
800-698-2411
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
The one number to call if you do not know who to call. Ask to be put through to your VA medical center's scheduling line, or press 0 for a person.
VA Health Benefits Hotline
877-222-8387
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
Enrolling in VA health care, health-care eligibility, VA medical bills, and community care billing.
Veterans Crisis Line
988, then press 1
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Any crisis, and you do not need to be enrolled in VA health care to use it. You can also text 838255.
My HealtheVet help desk
877-327-0022
Monday to Friday
Trouble signing in, secure messaging, or online scheduling.
VA Benefits Hotline
800-827-1000
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET
Claims, ratings, and back pay — the benefits side rather than the medical side.
TTY
711
Relay service
If you are deaf or hard of hearing.
These are VA's own published lines. If a number ever gives you a runaround, MyVA411 at 800-698-2411 will transfer you — it is staffed every hour of every day.
Straight from the VA
Two official videos worth watching before your appointment — the exposure-and-sleep-apnea question, and the symptoms the VA expects to find written down.
Does Agent Orange or Burn Pits cause Sleep Apnea? | Military Exposures and Sleep Apnea | theSITREP
The VA takes on the exposure-to-sleep-apnea question directly.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Disability for Sleep Apnea | What Sleep Apnea symptoms to look for in your records | theSITREP
What the VA looks for in your medical records — useful before you see your doctor.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
These videos are published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and are embedded here unedited. They are the agency’s own explanation of its rules, not ours, and they are not legal or medical advice. If what the VA said on camera does not match what your decision letter says, that gap is worth a conversation.
Or reach out to us
Make the calls above first — they are free, they are yours, and nobody can make them for you. When you have the visit notes and the results in hand, that is the moment a second set of eyes is worth something. Albert Thombs, VA-Accredited Claims Agent #45147, reads the file for what VA will do with it: whether the exposure history is actually in the record, whether the exam request ever mentioned it, and where a denial is arguable.
Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or legal advice, and we are not the VA. Warning signs are not conditions — a clinician decides what is going on with you. Las Vegas, NV.
Both options are free · No obligation
Talking to a VA-accredited claims agent costs nothing either way. Pick the one that fits: get answers to your questions, or register to hire us to take on your claim.
Free information — just ask
You can ask Albert, our AI claims assistant, anything about exposure, evidence, or the claims process — he answers instantly. If you would rather have a direct, personal answer, send your question below and an accredited agent will come back to you. No cost, no obligation.
Ready to hire us? Register with us
For veterans who have decided they want us on their claim. Registering is free too, and it takes the registration form plus a signed VA Form 21-22a.
Until VA Form 21-22a is signed we cannot accept your claim, access your VA file, or do any work on your behalf. That is federal law, not firm policy.
What happens after you register
An accredited agent personally reviews every request — we’ll reach out within 48 hours.
