**Department of Veterans Affairs VHA DIRECTIVE 1301**

**Veterans Health Administration Transmittal Sheet**

**Washington, DC 20420 August 13, 1999**

**IONIZING RADIATION REGISTRY PROGRAM**

**1.** **REASON FOR ISSUE**: This Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Directive establishes policy for the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA), VHA, Environmental Agents Service (EAS), Ionizing Radiation
Registry Program. It implements changes in health services for veterans
mandated by Public Laws 104-262 and 105-368.

**2.** **SUMMARY OF MAJOR CHANGES**: This Directive establishes policy
for changes mandated by Public Law 104-262 which involves eligibility
for care and adds conditions which VA now recognizes as being
potentially radiogenic. Public Law 105-368 authorized care and services,
limited to examinations and treatment of head and neck cancers for
veterans who had received nasopharyngeal radium treatments during active
military, naval, or air service.

**3. RELATED ISSUES:** VHA Handbook 1301.1.

**4. RESPONSIBLE OFFICIALS**: Director, EAS (131), is responsible for
this directive. Questions may be referred to (202) 273-8463 or (202)
273-8465.

**5. RESCISSIONS**: This VHA Directive rescinds Manual M-10,
"Environmental Medicine," Part II, "Ionizing Radiation Program,"
Chapters 1 and 2, dated March 30, 1992.

**6. RECERTIFICATION**: This document is scheduled for recertification
on/before the last working day of August 2004.

![](media/image1.png){width="2.5in" height="1.051388888888889in"}

Thomas L. Garthwaite, M.D.

Acting Under Secretary for Health

Distribution: **RPC: 0005**

FD

Printing Date: 8/99

# **IONIZING RADIATION REGISTRY PROGRAM**

**1. PURPOSE**

This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directive provides policies
and operational procedures for Ionizing Radiation Registry Examinations.
***NOTE:** The correlating Handbook constitutes a total revision of
M-10, "Environmental Medicine," Part II, "Ionizing Radiation Program,"
Chapters 1 and 2. The principal change involves eligibility for care
mandated by Public Law 104-262 and adds conditions which the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) now recognizes as being potentially
radiogenic.*

**2. POLICY**

It is VHA policy that ionizing radiation registry (IRR) examinations and
treatment of potentially radiogenic conditions will be provided to
veterans exposed under conditions described in Title 38 United States
Code (U.S.C.) § 1710(e) (1) (B) and § 1720E. These conditions include:

a\. On site participation in a test involving the atmospheric detonation
of a nuclear device (between 1945 and 1962), (whether or not the testing
nation was the United States);

b\. Participation in the occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki from August
6, 1945, through July 1, 1946;

c\. Internment as a Prisoner-of-War (POW) in Japan during World War II
which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines resulted in an
opportunity for exposure to ionizing radiation comparable to that of
veterans involved in the occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki (see 38
U.S.C. § 1112(c)(3));

d\. Veterans with head or neck complaints or who are concerned about
possible adverse

effects of their Nasopharyngeal (NP) radium treatments, who have:

\(1\) Documentation of NP radium treatment in active military, naval or
air service;

\(2\) Served as an aviator in the active military, naval or air service
before the end of

the Korean conflict; or

\(3\) Undergone submarine training in active naval service before
January 1, 1965.

***NOTE:** Eligible veterans do not have to be enrolled in VA care to
receive IRR examination and co-payments are not required.*

**3. ACTION:** Each VA medical center Director is responsible for
providing treatment to eligible veterans, and establishing and
maintaining an IRR.

**4.** **REFERENCES**

a\. Public Law 99-576, "Veterans Benefits Improvement and Health Care
Authorization Act of 1986."

b\. Public Law 104-262, "The Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform
Act of 1996."

c\. Public Law 105-368, "Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998."