Veterans who served at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan — or K2 — after Sept. 11, 2001, will receive expanded access to disability benefits, The Department of Veterans Affairs announced.
The Soviet-era K2 base was used by U.S. soldiers, airmen and Marines as a point into and out of Afghanistan during that war.
The VA announced Friday that it will make “undiagnosed illness” and medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness, also known as Gulf War Illness, presumptive conditions for veterans who served at the installation.
That would lower the burden of proof required for them to receive presumptive benefits, the VA said.
It also plans to acknowledge that K2 veterans were exposed to several contaminants, including jet fuel and lead-based paint, and said it would provide a list of those to all claims processors and examiners. The department also noted its continuing to work with the Defense Department to conduct research to identify any additional exposures.
While the K2 vets are also eligible for presumptive benefits for the more than 300 conditions covered by the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, also known as the PACT Act, the recent announcement provides another means of increasing benefits access for the group.
“At VA, our goal is to provide every Veteran who served at K2 with the care and benefits that they deserve for their service to our nation — and that’s what this effort is all about,” VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits Josh Jacobs said in a statement.
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Before a decision is made on a K2 veteran’s claim, it will go through additional review to ensure all relevant information, including exposures, gets taken into account, the VA said.
More than 13,000 of the approximately 16,000 known K2 veterans are currently enrolled in VA health care and nearly 12,000 are already receiving disability benefits for at least one service-connected health condition, the department said.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Congress announced this month bipartisan legislation to establish additional presumptions of a service connection for certain diseases, including cancer, for K2 veterans.
“Sadly, K2 veterans are dying at an increasing rate, and there’s a desperate need for medical care for those who are still battling toxic exposure-related illnesses,” Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., said in a statement.
“We cannot wait any longer. These veterans deserve swift action and medical care,” he said.
Visit the VA’s website for more information on the recent expansion of benefits.
Jonathan is a staff writer and editor of the Early Bird Brief newsletter for Military Times. Follow him on Twitter @lehrfeld_media
