![](media/image1.png){width="0.3770833333333333in"
height="0.2847222222222222in"} **Department of Veterans Affairs**

"Presumptive" Disability Benefits for Certain Groups of Veterans

**What is "Presumptive" Service Connection?**

VA *presumes* that specific disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans
were caused by their military service. VA does this because of the
unique circumstances of their military service. If one of these
conditions is diagnosed in a veteran in one of these groups, VA presumes
that the circumstances of his/her service caused the condition, and
disability compensation can be awarded.

**What Conditions are "Presumed" to be Caused by Military Service?**

> [Veterans in the groups identified below]{.underline}: Entitlement to
> disability compensation may be presumed under the circumstances
> described and for the conditions listed.
>
> [Veterans within one year of release from active duty]{.underline}:
> Veterans diagnosed with chronic diseases (such as arthritis, diabetes,
> or hypertension) are encouraged to apply for disability compensation.
>
> [Veterans with continuous service of 90 days or more]{.underline}:
> Veterans diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/Lou
> Gehrig\'s disease at any time after discharge or release from
> qualifying active service is sufficient to establish service
> connection for the disease, if the veteran had active, continuous
> service of 90 days or more.

+----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| **Former**     | **Vietnam       | **Atomic        | **Gulf War      |
|                | Veterans**      | Veterans**      | Veterans**      |
| **Prisoners of |                 |                 |                 |
| War**          | **(Exposed to** | **(Exposed to   | **(Undiagnosed  |
|                |                 | Ionizing        | Illness)**      |
|                | **Agent         | Radiation)**    |                 |
|                | Orange)**       |                 |                 |
+----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| **(1)**        | Served in the   | Participated in | Served in the   |
| Imprisoned for | Republic of     | atmospheric     | Southwest Asia  |
| any length of  | Vietnam between | nuclear         | Theater of      |
| time,          | 1/9/62 and      | testing;        | Operations      |
| ***and***      | 5/7/75:         | occupied or was | during the Gulf |
| disability at  |                 | a POW in        | War with        |
| least 10       | -   chloracne   | Hiroshima or    | condition at    |
| percent        |     or other    | Nagasaki;       | least 10        |
| disabling:     |     acneform    | service before  | percent         |
|                |     disease     | 2/1/92 at a     | disabling by    |
| -   psychosis  |     similar to  | diffusion plant | 12/31/11.       |
|                |     chloracne\* | in Paducah, KY, | Included are    |
| ```{=html}     |                 | Portsmouth, OH, | medically       |
| <!-- -->       | -   porphyria   | or Oak Ridge,   | unexplained     |
| ```            |     cutanea     | TN; or service  | chronic         |
| -   any of the |     tarda\*     | before 1/1/74   | multi-symptom   |
|     anxiety    |                 | at Amchitka     | illnesses       |
|     states     | ```{=html}      | Island, AK:     | defined by a    |
|                | <!-- -->        |                 | cluster of      |
| -   dysthymic  | ```             | -   all forms   | signs or        |
|     disorder   | -   soft-tissue |     of leukemia | symptoms that   |
|                |     sarcoma     |     (except for | have existed    |
| -   organic    |     (other than |     chronic     | for six months  |
|     residuals  |                 |     lymphocytic | or more, such   |
|     of         |   osteosarcoma, |     leukemia)   | as:             |
|     frostbite  |                 |                 |                 |
|                | chondrosarcoma, | -   cancer of   | -   chronic     |
| -              |     Kaposi\'s   |     the         |     fatigue     |
| post-traumatic |     sarcoma or  |     thyroid,    |     syndrome    |
|                |                 |     breast,     |                 |
| osteoarthritis |   mesothelioma) |     pharynx,    | -               |
|                |                 |     esophagus,  |    fibromyalgia |
| -   heart      | ```{=html}      |     stomach,    |                 |
|     disease or | <!-- -->        |     small       | -   irritable   |
|                | ```             |     intestine,  |     bowel       |
|   hypertensive | -   Hodgkin\'s  |     pancreas,   |     syndrome    |
|     vascular   |     disease     |     bile ducts, |                 |
|     disease    |                 |     gall        | -   any         |
|     and their  | -   multiple    |     bladder,    |     diagnosed   |
|                |     myeloma     |     salivary    |     or          |
|  complications |                 |     gland,      |     undiagnosed |
|                | ```{=html}      |     urinary     |     illness     |
| -   stroke and | <!-- -->        |     tract       |     that the    |
|     its        | ```             |     (kidneys,   |     Secretary   |
|     residuals  | -   respiratory |     renal       |     of Veterans |
|                |     cancers     |     pelves,     |     Affairs     |
| **(2)**        |     (lung,      |     ureters,    |     determines  |
| Imprisoned for |     bronchus,   |     urinary     |     warrants a  |
| at least 30    |     larynx,     |     bladder and |     presumption |
| days,          |     trachea)    |     urethra),   |     of service  |
| ***and***      |                 |     brain,      |     connection  |
| disability at  | ```{=html}      |     bone, lung, |                 |
| least 10       | <!-- -->        |     colon,      | *Signs or       |
| percent        | ```             |     ovary       | symptoms of an  |
| disabling:     | -               |                 | undiagnosed     |
|                |  non-Hodgkin\'s | ```{=html}      | illness         |
| -              |     lymphoma    | <!-- -->        | include*:       |
|   avitaminosis |                 | ```             | fatigue, skin   |
|                | -   prostate    | -   bron        | symptoms,       |
| -   beriberi   |     cancer      | chiolo-alveolar | headaches,      |
|                |                 |     carcinoma   | muscle pain,    |
| -   chronic    | -   acute and   |                 | joint pain,     |
|     dysentery  |     subacute    | -   multiple    | neurological    |
|                |     peripheral  |     myeloma     | symptoms,       |
| -              |                 |                 | respiratory     |
|  helminthiasis |    neuropathy\* | ```{=html}      | symptoms, sleep |
|                |                 | <!-- -->        | disturbance, GI |
| -              | -   type 2      | ```             | symptoms,       |
|   malnutrition |     diabetes    | -   lymphomas   | cardiovascular  |
|     (including |                 |     (other than | symptoms,       |
|     optic      | -   chronic     |     Hodgkin\'s  | weight loss,    |
|     atrophy)   |     lymphocytic |     disease)    | menstrual       |
|                |     leukemia    |                 | disorders       |
| -   pellagra   |                 | -   primary     |                 |
|                | \*Must become   |     liver       |                 |
| -   any other  | manifest to a   |     cancer      |                 |
|                | degree of 10    |     (except if  |                 |
|    nutritional | percent or more |     cirrhosis   |                 |
|     deficiency | within a year   |     or          |                 |
|                | after the last  |     hepatitis B |                 |
| -   irritable  | date on which   |     is          |                 |
|     bowel      | the veteran was |     indicated)  |                 |
|     syndrome   | exposed to an   |                 |                 |
|                | herbicide agent |                 |                 |
| -   peptic     | during active   |                 |                 |
|     ulcer      | military,       |                 |                 |
|     disease    | naval, or air   |                 |                 |
|                | service.        |                 |                 |
| -   peripheral |                 |                 |                 |
|     neuropathy |                 |                 |                 |
|                |                 |                 |                 |
| -   cirrhosis  |                 |                 |                 |
|     of the     |                 |                 |                 |
|     liver      |                 |                 |                 |
+----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

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Compensation and Pension Service -- December 2008