Select where you deployed and what conditions you have. We check them against the PACT Act presumptive lists — statute-correct, not guesswork.
1,908,529 claims approved|$11.98 billion paid|73.6% grant rate|Data as of August 2, 2025
1Deployments
2Conditions
3Results
STEP 1
Where did you serve?
Select every location where you deployed or were stationed. We match these against VA’s PACT Act qualifying locations and date windows.
SW Asia / Post-9/11 (Burn Pit)
Agent Orange / Herbicide
Radiation
Camp Lejeune
0 locations selected
BEYOND PRESUMPTIVES
Gulf War Illness / MUCMI (38 C.F.R. § 3.317)
If you served in the Southwest Asia theater after August 2, 1990 and have chronic symptoms that doctors cannot fully explain, you may qualify under the MUCMI (Medically Unexplained Chronic Multisymptom Illness) framework. This is separate from PACT Act presumptives and does NOT require a nexus opinion.
List is NOT exhaustive. Any condition without conclusive etiology or pathophysiology may qualify per Stewart v. Wilkie (2018).
QUALIFYING LOCATIONS
Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, plus the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, and ALL airspace above.
Navy: Ships in qualifying waters count. Air Force: Missions over qualifying territory/waters count.
DEADLINE: DECEMBER 31, 2026
Your condition must have manifested to 10% or more by this date. This deadline has NOT been extended by the PACT Act and no extension has been enacted. If you have unexplained chronic symptoms and Gulf War-era SW Asia service, file before this date.
Key case law: Stewart v. Wilkie (2018) — a condition qualifies as MUCMI where EITHER etiology OR pathophysiology is inconclusive. Gutierrez v. Principi (2004) — no nexus evidence required for Gulf War undiagnosed illness claims. Goodman v. Shulkin (2017) — MUCMI determinations are individualized; no blanket exclusion of any condition.
TERA is NOT a presumptive. It concedes that you were exposed to something toxic during service. You still need a medical nexus connecting your condition to that exposure. But it removes the hardest part of many claims: proving the in-service event happened.
WHAT TERA DOES
• VA concedes your toxic exposure • Creates a TERA Memorandum in your file • Examiner MUST consider all deployments • VA must get a nexus opinion before denying • Any condition can potentially qualify
WHAT TERA DOES NOT DO
• Does NOT grant presumptive status • Does NOT eliminate nexus requirement • Does NOT auto-approve your claim • Regulatory framework still not finalized • Currently governed by VBA policy letters
Five TERA exposure categories: Air pollutants (burn pits, oil well fires), chemicals (pesticides, depleted uranium, contaminated water), occupational hazards (asbestos, lead, CARC paint, AFFF/PFAS), radiation, and warfare agents (nerve agents, chemical/biological weapons). This list is not exhaustive.
ACTION ITEM
Get Your Toxic Exposure Registry Exam
If you deployed to SW Asia, Afghanistan, or any location with burn pits or toxic exposures, you are eligible for FREE registry exams through the VA. These exams go into your medical record and strengthen your claims. Most veterans do not know these exist.
BURN PIT REGISTRY
4.7M veterans auto-enrolled as of Aug 2024. Check status through your Environmental Health Coordinator or VET-HOME.
Request a free registry evaluation — in-person or telehealth with a VA environmental health clinician.
GULF WAR REGISTRY EXAM
Free comprehensive medical evaluation. 1 hour with a VA environmental exposure specialist. Covers all deployment exposures: fuels, chemicals, burn pits, DU, pesticides, gunpowder, TBI, mental health.
Results go directly into your VA medical record.
HOW TO SCHEDULE
1. Call VET-HOME: 833-633-8846 (M–F, 9AM–7:30PM ET) 2. Or contact your local Environmental Health Coordinator 3. Before the call: write down all deployments, all exposures (aviation fuel, spray paint, burn pits, chemicals), all symptoms and when they started 4. Submit the exam results with your disability claim as supporting evidence
Registry exams are separate from C&P exams. They do not initiate or decide claims. But they create documented medical evidence in your VA record that raters can consider. Educational tool only — not legal or medical advice.