[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 122 (Wednesday, June 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36142-36144]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14881]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Establishment of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announces the
establishment of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. The
registry is voluntary and open to eligible Veterans and Servicemembers
who may have been exposed to airborne hazards by serving as members of
the Armed Forces in one or more of the locations in the Southwest Asia
theater of operations [as defined in 38 CFR 3.317(e)(2)], on or after
August 2, 1990, or on or after September 11, 2001, to include
Afghanistan or Djibouti. The registry will support efforts to ascertain
and monitor the health effects in eligible Veterans and Servicemembers
who were possibly exposed to open burn pits, toxic airborne chemicals
and fumes, and other airborne hazards such as particulate matter (PM).
Eligible Veterans and Servicemembers do not have to be enrolled for VA
health care in order to participate in this registry.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Paul Ciminera, Department of
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420,
telephone (202) 461-1020. (This is not a toll-free number.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA announces the establishment of the
Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry for eligible individuals
who may have been exposed to open burn pits, toxic airborne chemicals
and fumes, and other airborne hazards such as PM, while serving as a
member of the Armed Forces in one or more of the locations in the
Southwest Asia theater of operations [as defined in 38 CFR
3.317(e)(2)], on or after August 2, 1990, or on or after September 11,
2001, to include Afghanistan or Djibouti. VA is mandated by Section 201
of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of
2012, Public Law 112-260, to establish and maintain an open burn pit
registry for eligible individuals who may have been exposed to toxic
airborne chemicals and
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fumes caused by open burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan on or after
September 11, 2001. VA has exercised its authority under Section 703(b)
of Public Law 102-585 to expand eligibility to Veterans and
Servicemembers who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations
on or after August 2, 1990 (e.g., the Persian Gulf War), and Djibouti
on or after September 11, 2001. VA chose to expand geographic, temporal
(time), and exposure eligibility to ensure individuals with plausible
exposures to airborne hazards receive a standardized assessment,
enhanced outreach and health risk communication, and an optional in-
person clinical evaluation. VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) have
agreed that Servicemembers who meet the geographic, temporal (time),
and exposure eligibility criteria who may have experienced similar
exposures may also participate in the registry.
The inclusion of exposures to environmental hazards other than open
burn pits in the registry is supported by findings in the VA-sponsored
2011 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report titled, ``Long-Term Health
Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.'' The
report states that, ``military personnel were exposed to a mixture of
combustion products from the burn pit and to other air pollutants from
local and regional sources'' (IOM, page 110). Similar mixtures of
combustion products are also present in the Southwest Asia theater of
operations beyond Iraq to Afghanistan as well as in Djibouti.
Veterans and Servicemembers who deployed in support of the Persian
Gulf War (GW) are also eligible to participate in the VA Gulf War
Registry. GW Veterans are encouraged to participate in both registries,
as the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry includes additional
data related to airborne hazards.
The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry was created to help
address the concerns of Veterans and Servicemembers who were stationed
at or near bases where open air burn pits were used to dispose of
waste, including potentially hazardous material. Uncontrolled open
burning was a method of waste disposal for military units deployed to
Iraq and Afghanistan after September 11, 2001. Independent scientific
reviews of the available scientific data indicate other sources of
potential airborne hazards may exist. As a result of uncertainty in the
location and extent of potentially harmful exposures, VA has expanded
eligibility for the registry to ensure that Servicemembers possibly
exposed to airborne hazards can be included in the registry. VA and DoD
are interested in collecting registry data for Veterans and
Servicemembers exposed to airborne hazards in places other than Iraq
and Afghanistan for the purpose of gaining a more complete
understanding of the short and long-term health effects of being
exposed to airborne hazards while deployed. The scientific utility of
the registry to ascertain whether any health effects may be associated
with specific reported exposures will be predicated on the eligible
individuals who choose to participate in the registry. Demographic,
genetic, exposure, and health outcome differences between the
individuals who choose to participate in the registry and the entire
population of Veterans and Servicemembers who deployed may limit the
ability of the registry to provide unbiased risk estimates of
associations between exposure to airborne hazards and health outcomes.
In conjunction with research studies investigating the long-term health
effects of exposures to open burning operations and other airborne
hazards, the registry may be helpful in developing a standardized post-
deployment exposure self-assessment, standardizing the collection of
clinical evaluation data, and in generating hypotheses regarding self-
reported exposures, self-reported conditions, and clinically determined
conditions.
VA recently announced preliminary plans to jointly conduct with DoD
a longitudinal cohort study of the potential adverse health effects
related to military deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, to include
potential exposure to airborne hazards and burn pits, and to take
appropriate actions to promote the effective monitoring and assessment
of deployment-related exposures and potential health effects of
deployments (78 FR 7860, February 4, 2013). VA indicated that a
longitudinal cohort study will likely involve a population-based,
cohort study to address the potential long-term health effects of
deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Exposures of interest include PM
from many sources, including burn pit exposure. Unlike the registry,
the longitudinal cohort study will require a randomized approach for
the selection of study participants; Veterans and Servicemembers cannot
ask to participate. By capturing information from these studies and the
registry, VA will increase its ability to understand important
information about the potential long-term health consequences of
airborne hazards and burn pit exposures.
VA, in coordination with DoD, plans to conduct extensive outreach
to Veterans and Servicemembers for the purposes of raising awareness
about the registry and to provide eligible individuals with information
regarding the advantages of participating in the registry and other
benefits. Information on how to participate in the registry will be
posted on the VA Office of Public Health Web site at http://www.publichealth.va.gov/, and will be available through fact sheets and
postcards, through Veterans Service Organizations, and through other
social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter in the coming months.
Veterans and Servicemembers who participate in the registry will
receive a participation letter following the completion of the self-
assessment questionnaire. An electronic copy of the participation
letter will be available through the registry Web site, and a copy will
be mailed to participants.
After completing the registry self-assessment questionnaire,
Veterans and Servicemembers can request an in-person and no-cost
medical evaluation for health concerns and conditions that may be
related to environmental airborne hazards. The medical examination is
voluntary and is not required to be in the registry. Individuals who
choose to participate in the registry do not have to be enrolled in VA
health care. Veterans enrolled in the VA health care system who want to
receive a medical evaluation after they complete the registry self-
assessment questionnaire are advised to contact their primary care
provider or Patient Aligned Care Team. Veterans not enrolled in the VA
health care system who have completed the registry self-assessment
questionnaire are advised to contact a VA Environmental Health
Coordinator in their area to schedule a VA medical evaluation. A
directory of Environmental Health Coordinators is available at the VA
Web site: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/coordinators.asp.
Active duty Servicemembers (including activated Reserve and Guard
personnel) who would like to receive a medical evaluation after they
complete the registry self-assessment questionnaire may contact their
local servicing military hospital or clinic medical treatment facility
to schedule an appointment for a voluntary medical evaluation. Active
duty Servicemembers should state that they are calling for an
appointment specifically to address ``health concerns related to the
Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry exposures.''
Reserve component members (Army, Air National Guard, and Reserve)
who based on their active service, meet the
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statutory definition of Veteran and the statutory minimum length of
active-duty service requirements will be eligible for Veterans Health
Administration clinical evaluations in the same manner as other
Veterans. Upon request, VA will provide them a voluntary medical
evaluation. Please note a medical evaluation is not required to
participate in the registry.
Participation in the registry does not constitute a claim for
disability compensation through VA. Additionally, it is not necessary
to participate in the registry to file a claim for disability
compensation.
The registry is not a means to obtain health care. Anyone
experiencing any urgent symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or chest
pains, should go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507) requires that
VA consider the impact of paperwork and other information collection
burdens imposed on the public. Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a), an agency may
not collect or sponsor the collection of information, nor may it impose
an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. See also 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(2)(vi). This notice announces a new information collection.
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, VA has submitted
this information to OMB for its review. OMB approved this new
information collection and assigned OMB control number 2900-0800.
Dated: June 20, 2014.
By Direction of the Secretary.
William F. Russo,
Deputy Director, Regulation Policy and Management, Office of the
General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014-14881 Filed 6-24-14; 8:45 am]
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