Reassessment of the Department of Veterans Affairs Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (2022) / Chapter Skim
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8 Use for Informing VA Policies and Processes
8 Use for Informing VA Policies and Processes
Pages 209-216
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From page 209... ...
, which moved details of the eligibility criteria and evaluation protocols for six VA registry programs, including the AH&OBP Registry, to the VA Health Outcomes Military Exposures intranet so they are no longer publicly available. 1 PL 115-435 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018.
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From page 210... ...
For example, the registry data may help to identify logistical bottlenecks in clinical care, such as the lag time for completing the registry health evaluation for participants who have indicated an interest in it. Determinations of how long participants can reasonably expect to wait for a health evaluation are internal policy decisions.
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From page 211... ...
For example, if there is a signal or indication that participants are reporting a rare outcome, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, more frequently than would be expected, this outcome might become a research priority. Despite the AH&OBP Registry's design and questionnaire flaws as described in the previous chapters, the registry is currently the best data source available for documenting the range of concerns and health experiences of veterans and service members exposed to airborne hazards, albeit limited to those health outcomes included in the questionnaire.
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From page 212... ...
Conflating registry participation with a participant's ability to file a claim or the successful receipt of VA disability benefits could create the inaccurate perception that the registry health evaluation is a substitute for a disability benefits rating examination; it is not since the disability rating examination has specific criteria that may not met by health examinations designed for other purposes. It could also create an unfair barrier to entitlements or unnecessary pressure to participate in the registry, although the registry website makes it clear that a veteran does not need to participate in the registry to apply for compensation and benefits or VA health care.
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From page 213... ...
The act substantially expanded the list of presumptive conditions for which veterans or their survivors can access health care or disability compensation. It also specifically mentions presumptive connections between military service and 11 respiratory conditions6 as well as most cancers, and acknowledges the possibility of expanding the list to other diseases based on established associations with airborne hazards.
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From page 214... ...
Expanding the number of eligible countries, and therefore the number of eligible veterans, for example, has contributed to the registry's unsuitability for use in etiologic research on the causal relationships between exposure to airborne hazards and health outcomes. VA also maintains that the AH&OBP Registry questionnaire can support a claim for disability benefits (VA, 2021b)
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From page 215... ...
Eric Shuping, Director, Post-9/11 Era Environmental Health Program, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA to the Committee to Reassess the Department of Veterans Affairs Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pits Registry. December 8.
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From page 216... ...
Provided by Dr. Eric Shuping, Director, Post-9/11 Era Environmental Health Program, Health Outcomes Military Exposures, VA.
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