Respiratory Disorders Taking Center Stage for Veterans’ Compensation Benefits

The Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs continue to make announcements highlighting increased attention to respiratory impairments suffered by American veterans. According to a recent news announcement, the VA has announced plans to examine evidence regarding service connection for the development of rare respiratory malignancies and other diseases among veterans and speed up its efforts to keep track and evaluate medical proof for veterans. The announcement also included three presumptive illnesses – asthma, rhinitis, and sinusitis – linked with particle exposure for veterans seeking service-connected disability compensation.

With these changes, Veterans can only benefit from a better understanding of the types of exposure when entering conditions such as burn pits, air pollution, sand, dust, and mechanical fumes while serving their country. Specific to the three presumptive respiratory conditions, veterans must have:

• Served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations beginning Aug. 2, 1990, to the present, or Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, or Djibouti during the Persian Gulf war starting Sept. 19, 2001, to the present.
• Applicants must also have acquired these conditions within ten years of active separation from military service.

Despite this progress, veterans still may encounter difficulties while appealing VA disability claims, and while this development is encouraging, the chance of being denied remains high. Our New York disability lawyers are proud to assist veterans with benefits claims. Call us at 855-208-7783 or complete an online intake form on our website to schedule a free initial consultation today. We serve Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and more.