Free printable
Walk in with yourexposure story organized.
Examiners and representatives can only weigh what you tell them. This one page checklist covers the questions they ask: what you were around, how it happened, when symptoms started, and who can back you up. Print it, fill it in by hand, and bring it with you.
Prints as a clean, one page worksheet. You can also save it as a PDF from the print dialog.
1. Your service snapshot
- Branch and component (active, Guard, Reserve)
- Years of service, and your MOS, rating, or AFSC
- Every duty station and deployment, with dates (closest you can get)
2. What you were around (check all that apply)
- Burn pits or other airborne hazards
- Jet fuel, diesel, solvents, or other petroleum products
- Herbicides (Agent Orange, Agent Blue, or other tactical herbicides)
- Contaminated drinking water (Camp Lejeune or elsewhere)
- Hazardous noise (flight line, weapons, engines, machinery)
- Ionizing radiation
- Depleted uranium or embedded fragments
- Chemical or biological agent testing (Project 112/SHAD, Edgewood)
- Sand, dust, and particulate matter
- Specific sites with known contamination (K2, and others)
3. How the exposure happened
- What your duties actually were, in plain words
- How often and for how long (daily for a year reads differently than once)
- Protective gear you did or did not have
- Whether you worked in enclosed spaces where vapors or smoke collected
4. Your symptoms timeline
- When you first noticed symptoms, even rough dates
- How they have changed or spread since
- Treatment you have received, VA and private
- What a bad day looks like, and how often bad days come
5. People who can back you up
- Names and contact info for people who served alongside you
- Anyone who can describe your duties, the exposure, or your symptoms then and now
6. Your paper trail (check what you have)
- Toxic Exposure Screening completed at VA
- Registry exam done (Agent Orange, Gulf War, Burn Pit, Radiation, DU)
- Exposure mentioned anywhere in service records
- Private treatment records gathered
- Buddy statements collected
7. At the C&P exam
- Say the exposure plainly and early. Examiners cannot weigh what they never hear.
- Describe your worst days, not your best. Ratings turn on how bad it gets.
- Explain what work and daily tasks the condition limits.
- Do not minimize. Veterans chronically undersell their symptoms.
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This is an educational estimate and not a guarantee of benefits, ratings, or back pay. VA makes all final determinations. We are not a law firm, VSO, accredited claims agent, or VA representative. We provide educational information only and encourage veterans to seek accredited help for individual claim advice. The Veteran Benefit Desk™ is a veteran founded independent digital publication and education platform that helps veterans understand VA disability claims, ratings, evidence, and appeals using clear explanations, original research, and cited public sources.
The Veteran Benefit Desk
Exposure History Checklist, August 19, 2026. Bring this to your C&P exam or your representative.
1. Your service snapshot
Branch and component (active, Guard, Reserve)
Years of service, and your MOS, rating, or AFSC
Every duty station and deployment, with dates (closest you can get)
2. What you were around (check all that apply)
Burn pits or other airborne hazards
Jet fuel, diesel, solvents, or other petroleum products
Herbicides (Agent Orange, Agent Blue, or other tactical herbicides)
Contaminated drinking water (Camp Lejeune or elsewhere)
Hazardous noise (flight line, weapons, engines, machinery)
Ionizing radiation
Depleted uranium or embedded fragments
Chemical or biological agent testing (Project 112/SHAD, Edgewood)
Sand, dust, and particulate matter
Specific sites with known contamination (K2, and others)
3. How the exposure happened
What your duties actually were, in plain words
How often and for how long (daily for a year reads differently than once)
Protective gear you did or did not have
Whether you worked in enclosed spaces where vapors or smoke collected
4. Your symptoms timeline
When you first noticed symptoms, even rough dates
How they have changed or spread since
Treatment you have received, VA and private
What a bad day looks like, and how often bad days come
5. People who can back you up
Names and contact info for people who served alongside you
Anyone who can describe your duties, the exposure, or your symptoms then and now
6. Your paper trail (check what you have)
Toxic Exposure Screening completed at VA
Registry exam done (Agent Orange, Gulf War, Burn Pit, Radiation, DU)
Exposure mentioned anywhere in service records
Private treatment records gathered
Buddy statements collected
7. At the C&P exam
Say the exposure plainly and early. Examiners cannot weigh what they never hear.
Describe your worst days, not your best. Ratings turn on how bad it gets.
Explain what work and daily tasks the condition limits.
Do not minimize. Veterans chronically undersell their symptoms.
Educational reference only, not legal or medical advice. Free calculators, condition guides, and the accredited representative directory: veteranbenefitdesk.com
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