Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont National Guard seeks to increase participation in the VA Airborne Hazards and Open Air Burn Pit Registry.
Any veteran who qualifies should contact the Vermont National Guard Veteran Outreach Specialist within their respective county by calling 888-607-8773.
‘“Burn-pits” are open air burn sites, most in Southwest Asia, where all manner of trash is incinerated on both large and small military bases,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont adjutant general. “In an effort to increase awareness about the possible risks associated with burn pits, we worked closely with the Vermont Legislature to pass a bill that requires medical providers to educate patients on the risks, as well as to increase participation in the burn pit registry located on the VA website.”
Veterans and Service members who have deployed to the Southwest Asia theater of operations on or after August 2, 1990 as well as those who have deployed to Afghanistan or Djibouti after September 2001 qualify to register.
Photo By Staff Sgt. Alfred V. Lopez | U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Nathanial Fink (left), a light-armored vehicle driver with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and 19-year-old native of Neenah, Wis., and Lance Cpl. Garrett Camacho, a food service specialist with Headquarter and Service Company, and 19-year-old native of Fredericksburg, Va., dispose of trash in a burn pit here, March 3. During a convoy to Patrol Base Sre Kala, an unexpected sandstorm halted the Alpha Company Marines and sailors for nearly 36 hours.
"High quality healthcare is always built off of a foundation of good science." Said Dr. Brett Rusch, White River Junction VA Healthcare System's Executive Director. "The Burn Pit Registry is helping doctors and researchers develop the science needed to provide Veterans the best possible medical care. Vermont Veterans and the Vermont National Guard are taking a leading role in this effort which will benefit Veterans not just in Vermont but across our country."
The VA initiated the Registry in 2014 to collect data related to the potential health effects of exposure to airborne hazards. For more information on the Airborne Hazards and Open Air Burn Pit Registry, or to register, visit: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/registry.asp.
For more information contact Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs Officer; Maj. Scott Detweiler, (802) 227-2779, or email [email protected].