Radiation Exposure

Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation during their military service were placed at a heightened risk of several medical conditions. Disability compensation from the VA is therefore available for Veterans who are diagnosed with any of these radiation-linked conditions. 

Veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation in the military include (but are not limited to) Veterans who served during any of the following periods: 

  • The occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, from August 6, 1945 to July 1, 1946
  • The American atmospheric nuclear weapons testing sites (primarily in Nevada and locations in the Pacific Ocean) between 1945 and 1962
  • The underground nuclear weapons testing facility in Amchitka Island, Alaska, prior to January 1, 1974 
  • The gaseous infusion plants in Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; or K25 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for at least 250 days prior to February 1, 1991
  • The McMurdo Nuclear Power Plant in Antarctica between 1964 and 1973 
  • Any Veteran who served in a reactor plant, or who worked as an X-Ray Technician or in nuclear medicine or radiography
  • The response effort following the collision of a B–52 bomber and refueling plane that caused the release of four thermonuclear weapons in the vicinity of Palomares, Spain, during the period beginning January 17, 1966, and ending March 31, 1967.

  •  The response effort following the on-board fire and crash of a United States Air Force B–52 bomber that caused the release of four thermonuclear weapons in the vicinity of Thule Air Force Base, Greenland, during the period beginning January 21, 1968, and ending September 25, 1968.

Medical conditions commonly linked with ionizing radiation exposure include: 

  • Leukemia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia) 
  • Multiple Myeloma (cancer that attacks your plasma cells)
  • Lymphoma (excluding Hodgkin’s Disease) 
  • Cancers including bile duct, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, gall bladder, pancreas, pharynx, ovary, salivary gland, small intestine, stomach, thyroid, and urinary tract (kidneys, pelvis, bladder, or urethra) 

Our Veterans Benefits Advisors will gladly prepare and file your claim for disability compensation based on exposure to radiation.