The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs play distinct roles in dealing with chemical and biological exposures and are responsible for developing DOD deployment occupational and environmental health surveillance, risk assessment and risk management policies. DOD identifies and validates veteran’s exposure to CB agents and monitors deployment-related exposure incidents and trends. This ensures effective programs are in place to prevent occupational and environmental injuries or illnesses during deployment.

The Public Health Division collaborates with their DOD partners and the VA on long-term medical care and benefits for our service members. The division also provides the names of these individuals along with their exposure information to the VA. The VA then notifies individuals of their potential exposure, provides treatment, if necessary, for these individuals and adjudicates any claim for compensation.

These combined efforts are shaping the future of military medicine by supporting enhanced individual exposure assessment methods. The Public Health Division partners with federal research institutes on many projects to include:

• Development of exposure biomarkers
• Individual chemical dosimeters 
• Individual Longitudinal Exposure Records