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Find out if you can get VA disability benefits for illnesses related to mustard gas or lewisite exposure. You may have had contact with mustard gas or lewisite if you served in certain areas during World War II or participated in biological and chemical testing.
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Mustard gas or lewisite exposure

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If you had contact with mustard gas (also known as sulfur mustard, yperite, or nitrogen mustard) or lewisite, a natural compound that contains the poison arsenic, you may have certain related long-term illnesses. Find out if you can get disability compensation or benefits.

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Am I eligible for disability benefits from VA?

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You may be eligible for disability benefits if you have a disability believed to be caused by contact with mustard gas or lewisite and your military record shows you had contact with mustard gas or lewisite.

If you were in the Army and served in these places:

  • Bari, Italy
  • Bushnell, FL
  • Camp Lejeune, NC
  • Camp Sibert, AL
  • Dugway Proving Ground, UT
  • Edgewood Arsenal, MD
  • Naval Research Lab, Washington, DC
  • Ondal, India
  • Rocky Mountain Arsenal, CO
  • San Jose Island, Panama Canal Zone

If you were in the Navy and served in these places:

  • Bari, Italy
  • Camp Lejeune, NC
  • Charleston, SC
  • Great Lakes Naval Training Center, IL
  • Hart’s Island, NY
  • Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, MD
  • Naval Research Laboratory, VA
  • Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC
  • USS Eagle Boat 58

Some service members who took part in testing in these places:

  • Finschhafen, New Guinea
  • Porton Down, England

Select merchant seamen were also exposed at Bari, Italy.

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Who’s covered?

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Veterans

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What kind of disability benefits can I get?

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  • Health care
  • Compensation (payments)
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How do I get these benefits?

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You’ll need to file a claim for disability compensation.

You have to claim an actual disease or disability. It’s not enough to state that you were exposed to mustard gas or lewisite during service. You’ll need to apply based on the illnesses believed to be caused by your contact with one of these chemicals. When you send in your claim, be sure to share any military records that show you had contact with blistering agents.

Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation

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What if I need help filing my disability claim?

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If you have questions about benefits related to mustard gas exposure, you can contact us via email.

Email us at mustardgas@vba.va.gov

You can also get help from a trained professional trusted to help with VA-related claims.

Get help filing your claim

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Can I get benefits if I volunteered for research involving chemical and biological testing?

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As many as 60,000 Veterans volunteered for medical research for the U.S. Biological and Chemical Programs. If you were involved in this research, you can get medical care through the U.S. Army if you meet both of these requirements.

Both of these must be true:

  • You volunteered for research involving chemical and biological testing between 1942 and 1975, and
  • You have an injury or disease directly caused by your participation in this testing

If you have questions or need help getting medical care: