Two MORE Conditions added to the Burn Pit Presumptive List

Yesterday, the VA officially added two more conditions to the Presumptive List for burn pit and other particulate exposure:

• Urinary bladder cancer, including overlapping sites of the bladder
• Ureter cancer, including the ureteric orifice and urachus

In 2022, the PACT Act added kidney and reproductive cancers to the Presumptive List, but did not address any other genitourinary cancers. The PACT Act, however, includes a directive that allows the VA to add new conditions to the Presumptive List whenever they feel the evidence supports the addition. 

After reviewing sufficient evidence, the VA decided to add urinary bladder, ureter, and other related genitourinary cancers to the list in order to ensure that all veterans who developed these conditions after serving in the qualifying areas are properly granted benefits. 

The purpose of the Presumptive List is to grant service-connection, and thus disability benefits, for conditions that develop after a veteran serves in certain locations during specific times. After serving in these areas, the VA “presumes” that the veteran was exposed to things that are known to cause the conditions on the list. 

You can now claim disability benefits if you developed urinary bladder, ureter, and other related genitourinary cancers after serving in the following locations during the specified timeframes:

• On or after September 11, 2001 in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, or the airspace above these locations.
• On or after August 2, 1990 in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates, or the airspace above these locations.

When applying for Presumptive Conditions, make sure to include all medical evidence regarding the development, diagnosis, and progression of your condition over time as well as evidence of your service in the qualifying area during the required time period. No other proof of service-connection is needed.