Bladder Cancer: VA Presumptive Condition (PACT Act)
VeteranHQ lists Bladder Cancer as a presumptive condition in the PACT Act (Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards) group. The exposure it is tied to is: Airborne hazards, burn pit smoke, particulate matter. The presumption is effective January 2, 2025. It is governed by 38 CFR § 3.320a; VA Final Rule, 90 FR 23 (January 2, 2025); 38 USC § 1119.
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 diagnosis, the service has to meet the requirements below, and VA decides the claim on the evidence in the record.
What qualifies: Bladder Cancer
- Service era
- Post-9/11 (2001–present) or Post-Gulf War (1990–present)
- Service location
- The Southwest Asia theater of operations as 38 CFR § 3.317(e)(2) defines it (Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations) or Somalia, on or after August 2, 1990; or Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen or Uzbekistan, including the airspace above, on or after September 11, 2001
- Exposure
- Airborne hazards, burn pit smoke, particulate matter
- Effective date
- January 2, 2025
- Filing deadline
- No statutory deadline; file as soon as diagnosis is confirmed
- Diagnostic code
- 7528
Service required for this presumption
This presumption comes from 38 CFR § 3.320a, not from the 38 USC § 1120(b) disease list, and THE REGULATION HAS ITS OWN SERVICE PREDICATE, which is not the burn-pit one. Under § 3.320a(c) a covered veteran is any veteran who, on or after August 2, 1990, performed active military, naval, air, or space service while assigned to a duty station in, including the airspace above, the Southwest Asia theater of operations as defined in 38 CFR § 3.317(e)(2), or Somalia; or who, on or after September 11, 2001, did so in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen or Uzbekistan. The § 3.317(e)(2) theater takes in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above them, so covered WATERS count and Somalia counts from 1990 rather than from 2001. § 3.320a(c) has no open-ended 'any other country' clause. Service in the covered area must be documented in service records. No minimum number of days and no minimum exposure duration is required. The presumption is subject to the affirmative-evidence exceptions in § 3.320a(a) and (d).
About this presumption
Bladder cancer is presumptively service-connected for veterans exposed to airborne hazards including burn pit smoke during qualifying military service. Bladder cancer is not one of the diseases Congress listed at 38 USC § 1120(b). VA established this presumption by regulation at 38 CFR § 3.320a, published at 90 FR 23 on January 2, 2025 and effective that day, on evidence linking combustion byproducts (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, acrolein) to urothelial carcinoma. The same regulation covers ureter cancer, including the ureteric orifice and urachus, at § 3.320a(b)(2). Previously covered only under Agent Orange presumptives for Vietnam veterans.
Evidence still needed
A presumption does not remove the evidence requirement. VA still needs a current diagnosis from a medical provider and service records that show the qualifying service above. What it removes is the medical opinion connecting the two.
DD-214 or service records confirming qualifying service location and dates; medical diagnosis of bladder cancer (pathology report, biopsy results, imaging); buddy statements corroborating burn pit exposure if service records are insufficient.
Controlling legal authority
38 CFR § 3.320a; VA Final Rule, 90 FR 23 (January 2, 2025); 38 USC § 1119
Related on VeteranHQ
- Malignant neoplasms of the genitourinary system: 38 CFR Part 4 rating criteriaThe percentage tiers VA applies once service connection is established, under DC 7528.
- VA presumptive conditions, explainedHow presumptive service connection works, and what it does not cover.
- All presumptive conditions by exposureAgent Orange, PACT Act, Camp Lejeune, Gulf War, and ionizing radiation.
Questions About Bladder Cancer and Presumptive Service Connection
Is Bladder Cancer a VA presumptive condition?
Yes. VeteranHQ lists Bladder Cancer as presumptive in the PACT Act (Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards) group, effective January 2, 2025, under 38 CFR § 3.320a; VA Final Rule, 90 FR 23 (January 2, 2025); 38 USC § 1119. A presumption removes the requirement to prove a medical link to service. A current diagnosis and qualifying service are still required, and VA decides the claim.
What service qualifies for the Bladder Cancer presumption?
This presumption comes from 38 CFR § 3.320a, not from the 38 USC § 1120(b) disease list, and THE REGULATION HAS ITS OWN SERVICE PREDICATE, which is not the burn-pit one. Under § 3.320a(c) a covered veteran is any veteran who, on or after August 2, 1990, performed active military, naval, air, or space service while assigned to a duty station in, including the airspace above, the Southwest Asia theater of operations as defined in 38 CFR § 3.317(e)(2), or Somalia; or who, on or after September 11, 2001, did so in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen or Uzbekistan. The § 3.317(e)(2) theater takes in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above them, so covered WATERS count and Somalia counts from 1990 rather than from 2001. § 3.320a(c) has no open-ended 'any other country' clause. Service in the covered area must be documented in service records. No minimum number of days and no minimum exposure duration is required. The presumption is subject to the affirmative-evidence exceptions in § 3.320a(a) and (d). Service era: Post-9/11 (2001–present) or Post-Gulf War (1990–present). Service location: The Southwest Asia theater of operations as 38 CFR § 3.317(e)(2) defines it (Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations) or Somalia, on or after August 2, 1990; or Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen or Uzbekistan, including the airspace above, on or after September 11, 2001.
What evidence is still needed for a Bladder Cancer claim?
DD-214 or service records confirming qualifying service location and dates; medical diagnosis of bladder cancer (pathology report, biopsy results, imaging); buddy statements corroborating burn pit exposure if service records are insufficient. A presumption removes the requirement to prove a medical link to service. A current diagnosis and qualifying service are still required, and VA decides the claim.
Is there a filing deadline for Bladder Cancer?
No statutory deadline; file as soon as diagnosis is confirmed
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.