VA Expands Presumptive Conditions: A Win for K2 and Post-9/11 Veterans
When you’ve served your country — boots in the dirt, lungs full of jet fuel fumes and God-knows-what from burn pits — you shouldn’t have to fight for the care you were promised.
And yet, for thousands of veterans who served at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan and across post-9/11 deployments, that’s exactly what’s happened.
Until now.
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced a major policy shift, adding several rare and aggressive cancers to the presumptive conditions list for vets who served in specific toxic environments overseas.
It’s a step in the right direction. But it’s also a painfully overdue acknowledgment of what many already knew: toxic exposure didn’t end when the deployment did.
Watch the video below about “VA Presumptive Conditions Update for Toxic Exposure” (YouTube)
What Was K2, and Why Is It a Problem?
K2 was a former Soviet airbase that became a key U.S. military staging ground after 9/11. It was also, according to declassified documents and first-hand accounts, an environmental nightmare.
- Black sludge oozing from the ground
- Radiation warning signs posted throughout the area
- Burn pits, fuel spills, and chemical contamination
- Zero protective protocols
In short, troops stationed there were walking through — and living in — a chemical warzone. But nobody told them that.
And since 2001, many of those same service members have reported cancers, respiratory diseases, and autoimmune disorders — only to be met with bureaucratic brick walls when they sought help.
What’s Changed?
As of early 2025, the VA has expanded its presumptive list for veterans who served at K2 and other post-9/11 deployment zones. This means qualifying veterans no longer have to prove the direct link between their illness and their service — the VA presumes it exists.
Newly Presumed Conditions Include:
- Acute leukemia
- Chronic leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Myelofibrosis
- Bladder and urinary tract cancers
The full VA announcement can be found here: https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2025/01/08/va-eases-benefits-rules-for-cancers-from-post-911-service-k2-tours/
Who’s Covered?
This expansion primarily benefits veterans who served after 9/11 in high-risk zones, including:
- Karshi-Khanabad (K2), Uzbekistan
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Djibouti
- Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen
- And other post-9/11 hotspots tied to U.S. operations
If you were deployed in these areas and have been diagnosed with one of the covered conditions — or know someone who has — this change could significantly affect your VA disability benefits and access to care.
The Evidence Finally Caught Up …
Veterans and advocacy groups like the Stronghold Freedom Foundation have been calling out K2’s dangers for years. Now, we’ve got data to back it up.
- Nearly 75% of K2 veterans surveyed report serious health issues.
- Cancer rates among K2 vets are significantly higher than their non-deployed counterparts.
- VA claims from K2 veterans have been consistently denied — until now.
One former Army officer who served at K2 put it plainly:
“They’re trying to deny us until we die.”
It shouldn’t take a grave diagnosis — or worse, a funeral — to validate what these veterans have been screaming for over two decades.
What Veterans Should Do Now?
If you served in a covered location and are dealing with any of the new presumptive conditions, here’s what you need to do:
- File a VA Claim — Immediately
Even if you’ve been denied in the past, file again under the new presumptive guidelines. You can do this through VA.gov or with the help of a VSO (Veteran Service Officer). - Get a Thorough Diagnosis
Make sure your medical provider documents everything accurately. It doesn’t have to say “caused by K2,” but the diagnosis must match the VA’s list. - Secure Backpay
If you were previously denied, you may be eligible for retroactive benefits — especially if you already had the condition during past filings. - Don’t Go It Alone
Organizations like the DAV, VFW, and Stronghold Freedom Foundation are helping veterans navigate these claims — and fighting for further expansions.
Is It Enough?
No.
This is progress — but it’s still playing catch-up. Many illnesses remain unlisted, many locations unacknowledged, and many veterans still waiting.
And while this new policy helps, the burden of proof still exists for those with unrecognized conditions. Veterans outside the specified zones — but exposed to similar toxins — are still forced to fight uphill.
Until the VA recognizes all toxic exposure-related illness and expands this protection universally, we still have work to do.
Final Thoughts …
The new presumptive conditions are a hard-earned win — but they’re also a reminder of how many years these veterans were ignored, dismissed, or told their symptoms were “just stress.”
If you served in a toxic zone and you’re sick — it’s not just in your head.
This is your sign to file. To fight. To claim what’s rightfully yours.
Because the war might be over, but for K2 and post-9/11 veterans, the battle for benefits is just starting to tip in their favor.
V.A. still has a long way to go here at home with their toxic exposure we drank for 30 years at Camp Lejuene, although discharge papers show “Untreated Urinization Cristlization”, this boneheads deny and argue that high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, could have come from anywhere, in one Marine? Lol, the V.A. and V.A. doctors are a joke to still come up with their stupid cover-up BULLSH$T!!!!
awesome, but how about us veterans that served in Iraq that have white spots on are brains that cause m.s and other issues. it’s already been shown in medical hospitals that it’s possible it could have been caused from serving their because there is many of us .
I served at Pendleton in the early ’70’s. Nearby San Onofre Nuclear Power plant was noted for severe leakage of radioactive iodine. AFTER DISCHARGE I HAD THYROID CANCER. The owners finally mailed notices to area residents that they could dispose of their potassium iodine (KI) pills to protect their thyroid glands. I never received those. The VA denied my claim.
It does not matter. The VA will still deny any claims. VA will document your issues and send you away without treatment or care. There is a reason 6000 vets commit suicide a year.
thank you so much for this story. my condition of pulmonary sarcoidosis is now presumptive, not sure what more support I can get, im grateful for this acknowledgement.
what about the camp lejeune poison water,, get the ball rolling there. and get payments to the victims
what about the camp lejeune poison water,, get the ball rolling there. and get payments to the victims
Why is it that those who never served in the military always want to cut benefits for those that are willing to sacrifice themselves to keep our country free
they want any of us veterans who where exposed to any toxic chemicals to shut up an die. It’s a sad an pitiful day in this country for treating us this way. Good luck to all of my fellow comrade’s
Thank you so much for this information and im a United States Marine Corps forever grateful !!!
I served in Vietnam/Thailand, I have a claim in, will they consider it using the PACT Act for agent orange or chemicals from Sattahip AFB in Thaidand.
I’m a Vietnam Thailand veteran. I worked near Naha airbase in Okinawa Japan, was stationed in Sattahip Thailand near Udon 1972/73
73/74 Okinawa
IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT WE VIETNAM VETERAN’S WENT THROUGH FOR EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE AND DIOXIN EXPOSURE. IT WAS DENIED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’S GOVERNMENT UNTIL MORE AND MORE VIETNAM VETERAN’S CAME DOWN WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER’S! AND IT WAS A REAL HARD TIME TO GET COMPENSATION FOR AGENT ORANGE AND DIOXIN EXPOSURES! AND NOW THE GOVERNMENT IS DENYING BIRTH DEFECTS FROM AGENT ORANGE AND DIOXIN EXPOSURE! SOME DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OF THE GOVERNMENT ARE SAYING THAT THE BIRTH DEFECTS WILL LAST BETWEEN 12 TO 20 OR MORE GENERATION’S! THE DOCTORS AND NURSE’S WERE ALSO EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE AND DIOXIN EXPOSURE AS THEY HAD TO CUT THE CLOTHES OFF OF THE WOUNDED AND DYING MILITARY PERSONAL THE HAD HEAVY EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE AND DIOXIN EXPOSURE! WE LEFT VIETNAM ALIVE, BUT THE VIETNAM WAR NEVER LEFT US AND IS STILL KILLING US PATRIOTIC AMERICAN VIETNAM VETERAN’S, VERY SLOWLY! I HAVE LYMPHOMA LYMPHOCYTIC CHRONIC SMALL LEUKEMIA AND PROSTATE CANCER AND 2 HEART DISEASE PROBLEMS FROM AGENT ORANGE! I’VE LOST 5 INCHES IN HEIGHT FROM DETERIORATING BONE DISEASE! I’VE 25 SURGERIES SO FAR AND I TAKE 36 PILLS A DAY TO LIVE AND I HAVE A LIST OF MY OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT’S TO LONG TO LIST HERE STILL NOT KNOWING IF SOME OF MY HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE FROM AGENT ORANGE AND DIOXIN EXPOSURE! AMERICA’S GOVERNMENT HAS LIED🤥 TO US VETERAN’S CONSTANTLY AFTER SERVING WHEREVER THE GOVERNMENT SENT US AND NOT TELLING US WHAT WE WILL FACE LATER ON IN OUR LIVES FROM WHATEVER WE WERE EXPOSED TO AND THE GOVERNMENT KNOWING THAT WE WILL HAVE MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEMS IN OUR LIVES! AMERICA’S GOVERNMENT AND THE CHEMICAL COMPANIES KNEW EXACTLY WHAT AGENT ORANGE AND DIOXIN EXPOSURE WOULD DO TO US LATER IN OUR LIVES AND USED IT ANYWAY! SAME GOES FOR AMERICA’S CURRENT MILITARY PEOPLE WHO WILL BE EXPOSED TO SOMETHING NASTY IN THEIR MILITARY TIMES! I’M A 100 PERCENT DISABLED VIETNAM VETERAN THAT SERVED WITH HONOR AND I’D DO IT AGAIN IF OUR GOVERNMENT AND THE CHEMICAL COMPANIES DIDN’T LIE🤥 ABOUT WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT HOW BAD SOMETHING IS AND NOT ADMIT IT UNTIL YEARS LATER AS THEY HOPE THAT A MAJORITY OF US WILL DIE BEFORE THEY WILL ADMIT THAT THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING TO US! OUR GOVERNMENT HAS PROVEN THAT THEY ARE DEFINITELY VERY EVIL WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE TRUTH AND FACTS THAT THEY KNEW WOULD BE HORRIBLY HORRIFIC FOR OUR CURRENT MILITARY MEMBERS AND USA VETERAN’S AND USE OR DO IT ANYWAY! WE DESERVED BETTER THAN WE WERE TREATED BY OUR OWN GOVERNMENT! MAY GOD BLESS🙏 YOU ALWAYS AND IN ALL WAYS!
I know exactly how you feel brother. I was in the Marine corps for the operation Kuwaiti freedom operation back and when so I’m going through my own thing from that they’re not helping me and then the VA doesn’t want to help my wife either and her dad was in Vietnam directly exposed to agent Orange and she was born less than a year after he got back from Vietnam and she has all the problems you have man and that ain’t cool at all man and her sister and brother already passed away and they were younger than her it’s sad where our government does to its military people man I should have never joined but then I wouldn’t be the man I am today if I didn’t. I’m just going to keep trying my best to help her get her benefits for her and her kids and just keep smiling he was a good work brother You’re doing good.
This is just awesome information as Army veteran of over 25 years it’s been a battle to get any disability claim awarded, it also seem that the Bosnia Herzegovina, civil war conflict that thousands of soldiers I know first hand were forgotten too. I bivouac less than a mile from a coal mine plant and slept in black coal dust for eight months, have developed all kinds of respiratory ailments, allergies, etc, the idiots that work for the VA, claims it’s just hay fever. I Never had any problems until I served in Bosnia 1996-1998.
what about those of.us from every branch that was exposed to agent Orange testing In Panama?
are you people going to allow more of us to die before anything is done for us?
No one cares about us!
Phoenix Veterans Affairs Police will be forced to take action:
https://www.change.org/p/unlawful-arrests-veterans-affairs-police-are-violating-due-process-protection-laws/u/33558396
I wish you would have said something about sailors who worked in the ship yards doing overhauls. I was on the USS Ranger and served from 1983 to 1987 and one full year in the yards in Puget Sound.
I was exposed to an enormous amount of toxins especially asbestos, and noise/vibrations from needle gunning and grinding. I am now suffering with multiple chronic pain and issues. .
Add PCZ Panama Canal Zone…they are trying to deny us till we are dead. Thousand of Panama Veis have been pushed under the carpet. Help us take this nation wide. We just have to help Veterans and also get back to the Cross and the lamb of God…treat all Vets with the same as you would expect to be treated….🙏🎁🙏
I was there. It’s disappointing that the VA won’t recognize vets during that time.
Some of the Vietnam era veterans and wives are still suffering from the effects of agent orange.And there’s no treatment for them and some of the children. That came out with all these disabilities. And nothing has happened. I lost my wife from what I bought back from Vietnam. And to hear a leader call us loser. I get sick 🤢 of the stomach.
This 1976-1977 Camp Lejeune Veteran was assigned H & S Company Barrack Housing at Camp Geiger, N.C.(Camp Lejeune, N.C.).
On April 1, 1977 this person completed the American Red Cross certification for Advanced Lifesaving and Water Safety at a Camp Lejeune Swimming Pool at Camp Lejeune,N.C.. Then I taught Basic Swimming to many U.S Marines who had lived in Barracks at Camp Geiger at another Camp Lejeune Swimming Pool for numerous days. Many of these men completed the Basic Swimming Course as required by the U.S.Marine Corps to stay on active-duty.
In 1977, this U.S. Marine was hurt in 106 Anti-tank weapon in outskirts of Camp Lejeune. The U.S. Marine Corps process this man out on TDRL with a service-connected Disability for my Back to his Parents Address in B—-, Iowa.
Headquarters Marine Corps denied this U.S. Marine promotion from Lance Corporal to Corporal because of my score on the Low Composite score on a written test. My 3rd Battalion Commanding Officer , 8th Marines did not submit the facts this U.S.Marine completed the Advanced Lifesaving Course on April 1, 1977. He never stated the fact that this U.S.Marine taught over 300+ U.S.Marines to complete the Basic Swimming Course at a Camp Lejeune Swimming Pool.
Now, in 2025 this older man has two service-connected Disabilities at the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office ( Des Moines, Iowa).
The Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office( Des Moines, Iowa) has never conslted the Administrative Remarks(1976) under my Social Security Number where this U.S.Marine was assigned to Operation Joint Effort, Operation Teamwork-76, and Operation Bonded Item-76 on the U.S.S. Guadacanal (LPH-7). This man received Hazardous Pay for each day I was stationed on this U.S. Navy Ship.
This 1976-1977 Camp Lejeune Veteran was assigned H & S Company Barrack Housing at Camp Geiger, N.C.(Camp Lejeune, N.C.).
On April 1, 1977 this person completed the American Red Cross certification for Advanced Lifesaving and Water Safety at a Camp Lejeune Swimming Pool at Camp Lejeune,N.C.. Then I taught Basic Swimming to many U.S Marines who had lived in Barracks at Camp Geiger at another Camp Lejeune Swimming Pool for numerous days. Many of these men completed the Basic Swimming Course as required by the U.S.Marine Corps to stay on active-duty.
In 1977, this U.S. Marine was hurt in 106 Anti-tank weapon in outskirts of Camp Lejeune. The U.S. Marine Corps process this man out on TDRL with a service-connected Disability for my Back to his Parents Address in B—-, Iowa.
Headquarters Marine Corps denied this U.S. Marine promotion from Lance Corporal to Corporal because of my score on the Low Composite score on a written test. My 3rd Battalion Commanding Officer , 8th Marines did not submit the facts this U.S.Marine completed the Advanced Lifesaving Course on April 1, 1977. He never stated the fact that this U.S.Marine taught over 300+ U.S.Marines to complete the Basic Swimming Course at a Camp Lejeune Swimming Pool.
Now, in 2025 this older man has two service-connected Disabilities at the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office ( Des Moines, Iowa).
The Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office( Des Moines, Iowa) has never conslted the Administrative Remarks(1976) under my Social Security Number where this U.S.Marine was assigned to Operation Joint Effort, Operation Teamwork-76, and Operation Bonded Item-76 on the U.S.S. Guadacanal (LPH-7). This man received Hazardous Pay for each day I was stationed on this U.S. Navy Ship.
Yeah go on in VHA and try to get psychological services from a military officer who probably kicked a dozen people out of service. Brilliant idea. Go get counseled by some military asshole who spent too much time in an authoritarian system where everything is done by the book and people devalued and punished every time they turn around. You think they’re just all of a sudden gonna function differently? The VA has and will always be a terrible idea. Insurance cards would help us avoid the kinds of people that VA hires.
may I ask about Ft. McClellan gas chambers, where new recruits go in and are told to take off their gas mask and inhale? Causing a severe reaction? Ft. Benning GA, has been identified as a toxic site regarding the drinking water, lead paint in older buildings. I was stationed there in 1988-1991. How do I get disability from the VA?
Thank you, hoping you can help me.
They aren’t gonna give you disability because you breathed CS gas, which isn’t toxic. If you go in there and stay stupid stuff like that… that’s a sure way to get a bad reputation at someone either stupid or dishonest. If you drank the water and it was toxic, you’d have a medical record paper trail a mile long. The only way it’s gonna just show up after many years if you never really had symptoms is it was radioactive or carcinogenic.
Look, don’t comment that what I said was stupid or dishonest, I’m neither. I’ve heard different things and I was just asking. it never hurts to ask. Your reply was rude and unnecessary. Thank you anyway.
what happened to the Vietnam Veterans with the Agent Orange – 1st the Bases, many that were storage areas and what was being dropped alll over the Country..
Women veterans who were there, that were Dx-d years later with many illnesses
like BREAST CANCER – ONLY AWARDED TO MEN. IT’S time this Diagnosis
became PRESUMTIVE and added to the list. Thank You USAF COMBAT MEDIC
They hire the most worthless and mentally ill people at VA. People who have no business in healthcare. Hopefully someone like Luigi Mangione gets in there at enforces the law when they deny care. The courts don’t do anything about the lawlessness.