Burn pit veterans, sinusitis and rhinitis: a claim map

The claim map

A claim map follows one veteran's route: the exposure, the conditions VA presumes for it, and the conditions that follow from them. The first step counts decisions that record burn pit exposure; the second counts all veterans, because few burn pit decisions include a secondary claim.

Where they served

Burn pit exposure

Southwest Asia theater during the Gulf War, or Afghanistan, Syria, Djibouti or Uzbekistan from September 2001 (38 CFR 3.320)

6,116 Board decisions that record burn pit exposure

presumed by law38 CFR 3.320

Step 1 · presumed by law

Chronic sinusitis or rhinitis

45.3% granted

457 of 1,008 veterans · all chronic sinusitis or rhinitis claims 24.3%

Also presumed on its own

Asthma

50.2% granted · 221 of 440

38 CFR 3.320 and 38 U.S.C. 1120 (PACT Act)

secondary38 CFR 3.310(a)

Step 2 · claimed secondary to chronic sinusitis or rhinitis (all veterans)

• Sleep apnea DC 6847

  37.2% · 449 of 1,208

• Migraine / headaches DC 8100

  41.9% · 134 of 320

• Asthma DC 6602

  28.6% · 26 of 91

  Also presumed on its own

• COPD DC 6604

  13.5% · 7 of 52

• Acid reflux (GERD) DC 7206

  12.2% · 5 of 41

• Hypertension DC 7101

  0.0% · 0 of 36

• Tinnitus DC 6260

  14.7% · 5 of 34

• Vertigo DC 6204

  33.3% · 9 of 27

• Deviated septum DC 6502

  11.5% · 3 of 26

• Chronic conjunctivitis DC 6018

  23.8% · 5 of 21

• Hearing loss DC 6100

  20.0% · 4 of 20

• Meniere's disease DC 6205

  16.7% · 3 of 18

• Depression DC 9434

  31.3% · 5 of 16

Step 1 bars: share granted in Board decisions that record burn pit exposure; the red mark is all veterans. Step 2 bars: all veterans who claimed the condition secondary to chronic sinusitis or rhinitis. One count per veteran; a remand counts as not granted. Conditions with at least 15 veterans.

First step: the presumption

38 CFR 3.320 presumes three chronic conditions for veterans with qualifying service: asthma, rhinitis, and sinusitis, including rhinosinusitis. They count if they appear to any degree at any time after service, and exposure to fine particulate matter is presumed. Qualifying service is the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War, or Afghanistan, Syria, Djibouti or Uzbekistan from September 2001 (the date set in 38 CFR 3.320). The PACT Act also lists chronic sinusitis, chronic rhinitis and asthma diagnosed after service (38 U.S.C. 1120).

Across 6,116 decisions that record burn pit exposure, the Board granted 457 of 1,008 sinusitis and rhinitis claims and 221 of 440 asthma claims. In recent denials, the problem was the diagnosis: examinations did not find a chronic condition.

Second step: what follows

Under 38 CFR 3.310(a), a condition caused by a service-connected one is service connected too. Across all veterans, sleep apnea claimed secondary to sinusitis or rhinitis was granted for 449 of 1,208 (37.2%), in recent grants on medical opinions that the nasal congestion and airway inflammation of rhinitis contribute to it. Migraine followed at 134 of 320.

Other theories rarely won: COPD (7 of 52), acid reflux (5 of 41) and hypertension (0 of 36).

Read the decisions

Recent decisions, with the Board's reasoning as summarized by AI:

• A25108199, December 2025: sinusitis granted on the presumption, as an enumerated disease under the PACT Act.
• A25107741, December 2025: sinusitis granted on the veteran's statements, complaints in service and the burn pit presumption, despite an inadequate VA opinion.
• A25111096, December 2025: obstructive sleep apnea granted secondary to service-connected allergic rhinitis.
• A25106364, December 2025: a chronic sinus condition denied; examinations and an x-ray did not show chronic sinusitis or rhinitis.

What the data cannot tell you

The burn pit group comes from the decision's own record of exposure; it is not proof of qualifying service. The second step counts all veterans, not only burn pit veterans. These are historical outcomes, not predictions.

For representatives

• Confirm the service location and dates against 38 CFR 3.320, then the diagnosis; the presumption covers the link.
• Once sinusitis or rhinitis is service connected, screen for sleep apnea and migraine, and get an opinion that explains the mechanism.
• Asthma diagnosed after service is presumed too; check it separately.