Charles Mix County Veterans Service Officer

This August, the VA launched the redesigned Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to improve data collection about military exposures and make participation easier for Veterans. Feedback from Veterans, as well as recommendations from the VA Office of Inspector General and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, informed the redesign of the registry. The redesigned registry combines Veteran and service member data to help VA better understand, research, and address the health challenges faced by Veterans exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits during their military service.

Key New Features of the Redesigned Registry:

• More than 4.7 million eligible Veterans and service members will be automatically registered via Department of Defense military service records. No action is required for registration.

• Due to its new auto-registration process, the registry no longer requires that Veterans complete a lengthy questionnaire prior to registration.

• Veterans may opt out of the registry by going to https://vethome.va.gov/ BurnPitRegistryOptOut/ and submitting an opt-out inquiry.

• Veterans can check their eligibility status by contacting the Environmental Health Coordinator at the Sioux Falls VA medical center (VAMC). Contact Steven Niles at (605) 336-3230 or email at Steven.Niles438@va.gov If you are eligible and included in the registry, you are helping your fellow Veterans by supporting research on airborne hazards and burn pit exposures and health outcomes, leading to improvements in care for Veterans in the future. Eligibility is based on locations of deployment and period of service. Your participation in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry does not affect your benefits status or health care.

If you participated in the original Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, thank you! You have already contributed to research and understanding of the health impacts of these exposures and your input is already included in the redesigned registry.

If you have any additional questions, please contact your local County Veterans Service Officer, Jerry Seiner, for more information.