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38 CFR § 3.307 and § 3.309

VA Presumptive Conditions by Exposure

VeteranHQ publishes 66 presumptive conditions across 5 exposure categories. Each one lists the service era, the service location, and the controlling 38 CFR section or statute, quoted as written. Where one date is true of the whole entry, it also gives the date the condition was added to the presumptive list, which is never the date of an individual award.

A presumption removes one requirement and one only: the veteran does not have to prove a medical link between the condition and service. Everything else still applies. There must be a current disability, which for most conditions means a diagnosis from a medical provider. The service has to meet the requirements below, and VA decides the claim on the evidence in the record.

The most recent addition in this list took effect January 2, 2025. VA adds presumptions by statute and by final rule, so a condition established after that date will not appear here yet. Check VA.gov for anything more recent.

Presumptive conditions by exposure category

PACT Act
15

PACT Act (Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards)

Agent Orange
19

Agent Orange and Other Herbicides

Gulf War
4

Gulf War Service

Camp Lejeune
7

Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water

Ionizing Radiation
21

Ionizing Radiation

Presumptive conditions grouped by exposure

PACT Act (Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards)

15 conditions

Agent Orange and Other Herbicides

19 conditions

Gulf War Service

4 conditions

Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water

7 conditions

Ionizing Radiation

21 conditions

Frequently Asked Questions About VA Presumptive Conditions

What is a VA presumptive condition?

A presumptive condition is a disease VA accepts as connected to service when a veteran's service meets defined requirements, without the veteran producing a medical opinion linking the two. The framework is 38 CFR § 3.307 (the service requirements) and 38 CFR § 3.309 (the listed diseases). A presumption removes the requirement to prove a medical link to service. A current disability (for most conditions, a diagnosis) and qualifying service are still required, and VA decides the claim.

Does a presumptive condition mean the claim is approved?

A presumption removes one requirement and one only: the veteran does not have to prove a medical link between the condition and service. Everything else still applies. There must be a current disability, which for most conditions means a diagnosis from a medical provider. The service has to meet the requirements below, and VA decides the claim on the evidence in the record.

How many VA presumptive conditions are there?

The number changes. Congress adds presumptions by statute and VA adds them by final rule, which is why lists that print a fixed number go stale. Each condition on this page carries its citation and, where one date is true of the whole entry, the date it was added to the presumptive list (not the date of any individual award), so the authority behind the entry is checkable rather than counted.

What evidence does a presumptive claim still need?

Evidence of a current disability, which for most conditions means a diagnosis from a medical provider, and service records showing the service the presumption requires. The Gulf War undiagnosed-illness presumption is the exception: under 38 CFR § 3.317 it covers a chronic disability, shown by objective indications, that cannot be attributed to any known clinical diagnosis. Each condition page lists the evidence its own corpus entry names. What the presumption removes is the medical opinion connecting the condition to service.

VeteranHQ publishes VA rules and the citations behind them. It does not prepare, file, or represent claims, and nothing here is legal advice or a prediction of what VA will decide.

Understand the whole picture

A presumption settles how a condition connects to service. The rating percentage comes from the 38 CFR Part 4 criteria for its diagnostic code.

Browse rating criteria