If you were exposed to jet fuel during your service and currently have a physical health condition that may be related to that exposure, it’s essential to show the VA the connection between your service and the condition. VA benefits are available to veterans who suffer from conditions connected to jet fuel exposure.
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Veterans may have experienced jet fuel exposure in various ways during their military service. This exposure could have occurred while working on aircraft, but it also could have been in the water, soil, or air where you were stationed. Exposure to jet fuel has been linked to various physical health issues later in life, including liver damage and neurological issues. Therefore, you may be eligible for VA benefits for conditions caused by exposure to jet fuel.
In this article about jet fuel exposure:
Jet fuel exposure in the military
Veterans may have been exposed to jet fuel in various ways during their military service. If you worked on aircraft during your service, you were at high risk of jet fuel exposure, but there are various other ways it could have occurred.
Exposure to these toxic substances could have occurred when you worked with the substance, like if you were responsible for refueling aircraft or transporting jet fuels. But it also could have happened if you lived close to where jet fuel was used, spilled, or disposed of. Breathing the air, drinking water, or touching soil contaminated with jet fuel is also harmful and could have been how you were exposed.
Long-term effects of jet fuel exposure
Like the methods of possible exposure, the effects of jet fuel exposure vary. The VA claims that the health effects of such exposure depend on certain variables, including:
- Type of exposure (skin, oral, or breathing)
- How long you were exposed
- Factors like age, gender, genetic traits, and diet at the time of exposure
Prolonged or massive exposure to jet fuel can cause immediate and ongoing health issues.
The results of jet fuel exposure also vary for veterans who experience health effects, and these effects are still widely studied and debated in the medical community. According to the CDC, jet fuel exposure can result in:
- Nervous system issues, including changes in reaction time and neurological functioning
- Respiratory issues
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Liver damage
- Decreased immune response
- Impaired hearing
- Skin rashes or lesions
- Infertility in women
The CDC also claims that jet fuel exposure has been linked to some cancers, but the results of these medical studies are inconclusive. However, the VA provides cancer benefits for veterans who provide medical evidence linking their cancer to jet fuel exposure during military service.
Short-term symptoms of exposure to jet fuel include:
- Skin irritation
- Eye and upper respiratory problems
- Difficulty breathing
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Sleep disturbances
- Memory issues
Drinking jet fuel is the most dangerous. It can result in coma, seizures, or death.
Doctors can do blood and urine tests to determine jet fuel exposure within days of exposure, but there isn’t a test to detect exposure after time passes. If you experienced short-term symptoms when the exposure occurred, you are more likely to have long-term health concerns resulting from the exposure.
VA benefits for exposure to jet fuel
The VA doesn’t offer VA benefits specifically for exposure to jet fuel. However, jet fuel exposure is directly tied to other long-term health conditions, like the ones below. Since medical research is still ongoing, it’s likely that some conditions that currently are thought to be linked to jet fuel exposure will be proven connected in the future. We list some of the most common examples below.
Additionally, the VA’s standard for granting a service connection is “at least as likely as not,” which means that it is just as likely as it is not likely that your condition is a result of your military service.
Asthma
Jet fuel exposure has been found to increase the risk of asthma in veterans. This increased risk results from inhaling toxic chemicals that cause inflammation in the lungs. The VA provides disability benefits for asthma.
Cancer
While multiple studies have looked at the connection between jet fuel exposure and cancer, the VA has not specifically connected exposure to cancer. Studies show varying results. A Pentagon study released in March found high rates of cancer in pilots and ground crew. The study was the “largest and most comprehensive to date” and resulted in calls to make it easier to link cancer to jet fuel exposure.
The vapors in jet fuel have been proven to cause blood disorders that result in leukemia, which the VA provides disability ratings for.
Hearing problems
Studies directly link hearing problems to jet fuel exposure. Even at small levels, this exposure can cause auditory processing dysfunctions in the brain that cause it difficulty processing and understanding sound. These hearing problems can’t be repaired, but the use of a hearing aid may help. The VA provides disability benefits for auditory processing dysfunctions.
Parkinson’s disease
Veterans exposed to jet fuel may also be at increased risk for Parkinson’s disease because of the toxins in the fuel that damage the central nervous system. However, the VA doesn’t recognize the connection between the conditions. When the PACT Act was signed into law last year, it included a provision for the VA to investigate the long-term health impacts of jet fuel exposure, including the connection between this exposure and Parkinson’s.
How to service connect a disability related to jet fuel exposure
To receive VA disability benefits for jet fuel exposure, you must have a medical diagnosis for a condition related to the exposure. Then, you have to be able to service connect the condition, meaning you need to prove how you were exposed to jet fuel during your service. Finally, you’ll need to make a connection between the two issues. In other words, it needs to be clear to the VA that you were exposed to jet fuel during your military service and that exposure resulted in the medical condition you now experience.
Veterans who were stationed at certain military bases are known to have been exposed to toxic chemicals. Also, veterans who served in aviation-type roles are more likely to have been exposed, although there are other methods of exposure, as explained at the beginning of this post.
For the VA to consider disability benefits for jet fuel exposure, you must file a claim. The VA will usually request a compensation and pension exam. The physician will examine you and ask you questions about your service. Examinations are usually required in claims for VA benefits.
You also can use a Disability Benefits Questionnaire to help your claim. A DBQ allows you to address symptoms, severity, possible causes, and how the condition may be related to other disabilities. A private physician also can complete the form for you.
Once the VA processes your claim for benefits, you will receive a rating decision letter with a favorable or unfavorable decision. If you disagree with the VA’s decision, you may want to file an appeal. If you win your appeal, you should receive monthly compensation and back pay, which is compensation back to when you filed your claim.
How our VA disability lawyers can help
Woods and Woods has helped thousands of veterans nationwide get the VA benefits they deserve. Call us for a free case evaluation to find out how we can help. If we take your case, you only pay us a percentage of your back pay if you win.
Talk to Us About Your Claim:
(812) 426-7200
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
While you can’t get a VA disability rating for jet fuel exposure itself, you can use proof of exposure to service connect other types of disabilities that are caused by the exposure.
There is a blood test to determine if chemicals in jet fuel are in your bloodstream. Otherwise, you may know you were likely exposed to jet fuel based on where you were stationed, the type of job you had in the military, or a specific incident that occurred during your service.
Neil Woods
VA disability attorney
Woods & Woods
Neil Woods is the firm’s owner and president. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
