VA Disability Benefits for Radiation Exposure:

Veterans who have been exposed to ionizing radiation during their military service may be eligible for VA disability benefits if they develop certain health conditions linked to this exposure.

  • You must have served in a location or situation where you were exposed to ionizing radiation. This could include:

    • Participating in atmospheric nuclear weapons tests.

    • Serving near nuclear accidents or facilities.

    • Working with radioactive materials.

  • You must have a documented medical diagnosis of a presumptive condition linked to radiation exposure. These conditions include various cancers, cataracts, and other specific illnesses listed by the VA. Alternatively , if you have a non-presumptive condition you believe is caused by radiation exposure, you can still file a claim. However, you'll need to provide strong medical evidence establishing a direct connection between your service and the illness.

You must have had contact with ionizing radiation in one of these ways while serving in the military:

  • You were part of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, or

  • You served in the postwar occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, or

  • You were a prisoner of war (POW) in Japan, or

  • You did tasks like those of a Department of Energy (DOE) employee that make them a member of the Special Exposure Cohort (For more details, check 42 U.S.C. 7384L(14))

You may also qualify for disability benefits if you served in at least one of these locations and capacities:

  • You were part of underground nuclear weapons testing at Amchitka Island, Alaska, or

  • You were assigned to a gaseous diffusion plant at Paducah, Kentucky, or

  • You were assigned to a gaseous diffusion plant at Portsmouth, Ohio, or

  • You were assigned to a gaseous diffusion plant at Area K-25 at Oak Ridge, Tennessee

  • Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll, from January 1, 1977, through December 31, 1980.

  • Cleanup of the Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons off the coast of Palomares, Spain, from January 17, 1966, through March 31, 1967.

  • Response to the fire onboard an Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons near Thule Air Force Base in Greenland from January 21, 1968, to September 25, 1968.

If you took part in any of these efforts, the VA will automatically assume (or “presume”) that you had exposure to radiation.

Radiogenic Disease:

“Radiogenic disease” means a disease that may be induced by ionizing radiation, including the following:

  • ll forms of leukemia except chronic lymphatic (lymphocytic) leukemia;

  • Thyroid cancer;

  • Breast cancer;

  • Lung cancer;

  • Bone cancer;

  • Liver cancer;

  • Skin cancer;

  • Esophageal cancer;

  • Stomach cancer;

  • Colon cancer;

  • Pancreatic cancer;

  • Kidney cancer;

  • Urinary bladder cancer;

  • Salivary gland cancer;

  • Multiple myeloma;

  • Posterior subcapsular cataracts;

  • Non-malignant thyroid nodular disease;

  • Ovarian cancer;

  • Parathyroid adenoma;

  • Tumors of the brain and central nervous system;

  • Cancer of the rectum;

  • Lymphomas other than Hodgkin's disease;

  • Prostate cancer; and

  • Any other cancer

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501)