Joining the burn pit registry does not file a claim, and filing a claim does not require the registry. Veterans mix up the two constantly and lose something either way. The registry documents exposure and gets you a free targeted exam. The claim runs on PACT Act presumptions. A 2006 Air Force memo from Balad exists for the narrow cases those presumptions cannot reach.
Two records that matter for burn pit claims
If your deployment took you through a burn pit, two records matter for your claim and your health.
- The VA Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AH&OBPR). Created by Public Law 112-260, the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012. It is how you put your name on the record as someone who deployed and was exposed.
- The 2006 Curtis and Elliott memo from Balad Air Base. This is the contemporaneous Air Force document that told the chain of command, in writing, that the Balad burn pit was "an acute health hazard" with "the possibility for chronic health hazards." It is evidence of contemporaneous notice, useful in claims where the question is whether commanders knew about the danger.
The two documents do different work. The registry is for the future. The Curtis memo is for the past.
The VA Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry
Registry overview
A self-reported, web-based registry of veterans and service members who deployed to qualifying locations. The VA's Office of Public Health operates it. The official portal is:
[veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/](https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/)
Who is eligible
Veterans and active duty service members who deployed to:
- The Southwest Asia theater of operations, on or after August 2, 1990 (Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, and the broader Gulf War theater)
- Afghanistan or Djibouti, on or after September 11, 2001
- Syria and Uzbekistan, on or after September 11, 2001 (added under the PACT Act)
What registration does
- Documents your self-reported exposures with VA
- Triggers an offer of a free, in-person health evaluation with an Environmental Health Coordinator at your VA medical center
- Lets you print the completed questionnaire and participation letter for your records
- Adds your exposure history to the research dataset VA uses to update presumptive lists over time
What registration does not do
- Registration is not a disability claim. It does not put VA on notice of a claim.
- Registration does not automatically presume service connection. Presumption comes from the PACT Act statute and 38 CFR 3.320 / 3.317, not from being in the registry.
- Registration is not required to file a burn pit claim. You can claim PACT Act presumptive conditions without ever opening the registry.
That said, registering is still worth doing. It gives you a free targeted exam, it documents your exposures in writing, and it puts your name in the dataset that drives future presumptive expansions.
The 2006 Curtis and Elliott memo
Who wrote it
- Lt Col Darrin L. Curtis, Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Commander, 332D Expeditionary Aeromedical Squadron, Balad Air Base, Iraq. He held a PhD in Environmental Engineering, was a licensed Professional Engineer, and had prior experience in RCRA / CERCLA clean-ups.
- Lt Col James R. Elliott, Chief, Aeromedical Services, who endorsed Lt Col Curtis's assessment.
Key findings from the memo
"In my professional opinion, there is an acute health hazard for individuals. There is also the possibility for chronic health hazards associated with the smoke; thus the information is being made a permanent part of each Airman's medical record."
And from Lt Col Elliott's concurrence:
"I concur with Lt Col Curtis' risk assessment. In my professional opinion, the known carcinogens and respiratory sensitizers released into the atmosphere by the burn pit present both an acute and a chronic health hazard to our troops and the local population."
The memo also notes that the Air Force was, by policy, placing burn pit exposure information in each airman's medical record during post-deployment outprocessing, citing Presidential Review Directive 5.
Why it matters for a claim today
Most burn pit claims under the PACT Act of 2022 ride on the new presumptive list at 38 CFR 3.320 plus the location and date in your DD-214. You usually do not need the Curtis memo to win.
Where the memo earns its keep is in two narrower situations:
- Non-presumptive conditions. If your diagnosis is not yet on the presumptive list, you can still pursue direct service connection under 38 CFR 3.303. The Curtis memo helps establish that the Air Force itself recognized the burn pit as a known hazard. That cuts against a denial arguing the hazard was not established at the time of service.
- Claims for periods or bases the PACT Act presumes for, but with limited DoD records. The memo shows the documented practice of recording burn pit exposure in the medical record. If your in-service record is missing that note, the memo supports a request to develop the file further, including Personnel Information Exchange System (PIES) inquiries and Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) records.
The full text is hosted publicly by the Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB) archive: Burn Pit Memo for Record, 20 Dec 06.
How to use both records in your claim
If you deployed through a burn pit, the right move is usually all of the following:
- Register at veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/ and accept the free clinical evaluation.
- File the PACT Act presumptive claim for any conditions on the PACT Act exposure guide.
- Keep the Curtis and Elliott memo in your file in case a non-presumptive condition needs a direct service connection theory. Pair it with our nexus letter request template for your treating provider.
- Talk to a VA accredited representative before filing. The directory shows accreditation verified against VA's list.
Sources
- VA Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, public health portal and registration portal.
- Public Law 112-260, Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012.
- VA Provider Guide TA-223-0614 (June 2015), Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry: Information for Health Care Providers.
- Curtis and Elliott Memorandum, Burn Pit Health Hazards, 332D AEW Balad Air Base Iraq (20 Dec 2006), hosted at cswab.org.
- 38 CFR 3.320, PACT Act presumptive service connection for certain diseases.
- 38 CFR 3.317, Compensation for certain disabilities suffered by Persian Gulf War veterans.
This page is educational and not legal or medical advice.