Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry: Eligibility and Deployment Verification

The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry is open to service members and veterans who deployed to contingency operations in the Southwest Asia theater of operations at any time on or after August 2, 1990 (as defined in 38 CFR 3.317(e)(2)) or Afghanistan or Djibouti on or after September 11, 2001. These regions include the following countries, bodies of water, and the airspace above these locations: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates; and waters of the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea. When you log in to the registry using your DS Logon account, VA will use deployment data provided by DOD to verify your eligibility.

You do not have to have been exposed to specific airborne hazards or have related health concerns to participate in the registry.

You must initiate a manual review of deployment information by selecting "Request an Eligibility Review". The registry will ask you to enter your contact information and eligible deployment information. VA will review the information you submit and, if necessary, ask you to provide documentation that indicates your eligible deployment(s). Please note that it may take up to 90 days for your deployment information to be verified. Upon verification, you may continue to the questionnaire.

Of note, if you were deployed before 9/11, were a part of special forces, returned from an eligible deployment less than 3 months ago, or were re-deployed within 3 months, you may get a notification in the registry portal that you do not have an eligible deployment. This is due to known technical constraints but does not necessarily mean you are not eligible. Please click the blue banner stating "Request Eligibility Review" and follow the additional steps.

If for any reason you cannot find your base name when adding a new deployment to the questionnaire, leave the base entry blank. You will be able to fill it in later in the questionnaire.

If you served in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, or New Dawn, but don’t see the base name, check for an alternate spelling. If you served in Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Kuwait, or Djibouti, the name of the base where you served will likely not be listed.

It takes up to 90 days after your return for your deployment information to be linked from DoD records to the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. Therefore, the system may not recognize your eligibility if you are still deployed. We recommend waiting to register until at least 90 days following your return from deployment; this reduces the likelihood that you will need to request a manual eligibility review. It also enables to you to complete the questionnaire based on your full deployment experience.