Spending Christmas in Vietnam

By Blake HYFIELD

The Burn Pit Registry – Moving Forward with New Directives and Reports

This subject was discussed in a previous column but the information is worth repeating – the following is taken from VA websites on the subject.

If you are a veteran or service member who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations after Aug. 2, 1990 or in Djibouti, Africa or Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001, you are eligible to participate in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry is an online database of health information from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) or 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans and service members collected through a questionnaire about exposures to airborne hazards. The Registry will help you become more aware of your own potential health issues and help the VA better understand the potential health effects of deployment-related exposures.

By enrolling in the Registry, you can create a snapshot from which to identify changes in your health, print your completed questionnaire, use it to discuss concerns with your provider and learn about follow-up care. In total, 163,935 veterans and service members completed and submitted the registry questionnaire between April 25, 2014 and Dec. 10, 2018.

How To Participate. The registry is a database of health information voluntarily provided by veterans and service members that will help the VA to collect, analyze, and report on health onditions that may be related to environmental exposures experienced during deployment.

1. Set up a Premium DS Logon Level 2 account. Visit www.ebenefits.va.gov for more information.

2. Visit https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry to get started. You can complete it all at once, or log out and return later.

3. Print the questionnaire for your records. Instructions on how to schedule an evaluation are available in fact sheets found on the registry website.

Here are key facts about eligibility for the registry and the benefits of participating:

• You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care to participate.

• The registry will help VA monitor health conditions affecting veterans and service members.

• Participants can obtain a copy of their questionnaire to share with non-VA providers from the secure registry web-application.

• Registry data will be used to improve VA programs for veterans and servicemembers with deployment-related exposure concerns.

• The registry will help researchers study long-term health issues that may be associated with burn pits.

• The registry can be used to contact you as new information becomes available.

• The registry medical evaluation does not confer Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) benefits. You still need to file a claim with VBA for disability benefits.

Blake Hyfield is the post service officer for the local VFW and American Legion posts. He can be reached at bhpegleg@yahoo.com.

  Blake HYFIELD