Depleted Uranium Exposure — VA Disability Rating & Claim Guide
This is not legal or medical advice. Always consult with a VSO or accredited claims agent.
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Prep →2026 Compensation Rates
Monthly compensation for Depleted Uranium Exposure, based on your overall combined VA disability rating.
| Rating | Monthly (Alone) | Monthly (w/ Spouse) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | — | $2,165.04 |
| 20% | $356.66 | — | $4,279.92 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $6,629.64 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $9,550.08 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $13,594.80 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $17,220.24 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $21,701.40 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $25,225.80 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $28,347.60 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $47,262.96 |
Common Symptoms
Document these symptoms in your claim. The more thoroughly you describe how they affect your daily life, the stronger your claim.
Functional Limitations
VA rates disabilities based on how they limit your ability to function. Describe these limitations in your personal statement.
Rating Criteria for Toxic Exposure
General rating schedule for toxic exposureconditions. Your specific rating depends on severity documented in your C&P exam.
Painful motion or limitation of motion that is compensable
Moderate limitation of motion or functional impairment
Severe limitation of motion or significant functional loss
Unfavorable ankylosis or severe impairment
Extremely unfavorable ankylosis
Will adding Depleted Uranium Exposure raise your rating?
Enter your current combined rating and the level this condition would rate at. We'll do the VA math.
New combined
10%
New monthly
$180
Change
+$180
Rates shown are the 2026 veteran-alone amounts (no dependents). VA combines ratings with "whole-person" math and rounds to the nearest 10, so adding a condition does not simply add its percentage. Full combined-rating calculator with dependents →
Peer-Reviewed Medical Evidence
Real, verified studies from PubMed/NIH that support a Depleted Uranium Exposure claim. Bring these citations to your accredited VSO or C&P exam — they help show your condition is recognized in the medical literature and, where noted, linked to other service-connected conditions.
Environmental Research, 2017 · PMID 27792941
Finding: In 36 Gulf War I veterans wounded in depleted uranium (DU) friendly-fire incidents, those with retained DU embedded fragments showed persistently elevated urine uranium concentrations with a 'depleted' isotopic signature, while those with only inhalation exposure had lower, natural-signature levels. At 25 years post-exposure the cohort showed ongoing mobilization of uranium from fragments but no detectable uranium-related effects in known target organs.
Why it helps: Supports a direct, objectively measurable link between DU friendly-fire wounds, retained fragments, and continued systemic uranium exposure in veterans, documenting the basis for ongoing VA surveillance.
Environmental Health Perspectives, 2009 · PMID 19590689
Finding: Among 1,769 urine specimens from Gulf War and post-Gulf War veterans, mean urine uranium was 0.009 microg/g creatinine, and only 3 of 1,700 isotopically tested specimens (about 0.01%) showed a depleted-uranium signature, all in veterans with confirmed friendly-fire DU incidents and retained fragments.
Why it helps: Supports that a depleted-uranium isotopic signature in urine is essentially confined to veterans with retained DU fragments, helping distinguish documented DU exposure from background uranium in claim evaluation.
Health Physics, 2021 · nexus to bone loss / reduced bone mineral density (osteopenia/osteoporosis) · PMID 33867437
Finding: In 36 DU friendly-fire cohort veterans evaluated in 2019, the high-DU subgroup showed a statistically significant increase in the bone-resorption marker N-telopeptide and a statistically significant decrease in bone mass compared with the low-DU subgroup, a finding now detected across two consecutive surveillance visits.
Why it helps: Supports a biologically plausible association between higher uranium body burden from retained DU fragments and reduced bone mineral density, relevant to bone-related conditions claimed as secondary to DU exposure.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2006 · nexus to renal (kidney) dysfunction and genotoxicity · PMID 16687268
Finding: In the Baltimore VA DU Follow-Up cohort, veterans with retained DU fragments continued to excrete elevated urine uranium, and those with urine uranium above 0.1 microg/g creatinine showed subtle changes in renal function and genotoxicity markers, while no other clinically significant uranium-related effects were identified.
Why it helps: Supports an association between higher measured uranium levels in DU-exposed veterans and early kidney-function and genotoxicity changes, the expected target-organ effects of uranium.
La Medicina del Lavoro, 2022 · nexus to cancer (bladder cancer; Hodgkin lymphoma, leukaemia) · PMID 35226651
Finding: A meta-analysis of five cohort studies of NATO peacekeepers deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo (DU-exposure regions) found overall cancer incidence below expectation but a roughly two-fold increased meta-estimate of bladder cancer (fixed-effect summary 2.16, 95% CI 1.35-2.97); the authors noted DU/metals/ultrafine particles were claimed as responsible but would not account for the bladder cancer excess.
Why it helps: Provides mixed evidence in military populations deployed to DU-affected theaters: it supports an association with bladder cancer while cautioning that a DU mechanism is not established, useful context for cancer claims raised in DU-exposure settings.
- Longitudinal Evaluation of Lung Function in Gulf War I Veterans Exposed to Depleted UraniumSecondary
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2020 · nexus to respiratory / lung function decline · PMID 33055525
Finding: In a dynamic cohort of 71 DU-exposed Gulf War I veterans followed with spirometry from 1999 to 2019, there was no significant difference in rate of lung-function decline between veterans with high versus low uranium levels, and overall decline matched the general population.
Why it helps: Provides balanced evidence that, over 20 years of follow-up, DU exposure was not associated with accelerated lung-function decline, useful for accurately framing the limits of respiratory DU claims.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2012 · PMID 22544161
Finding: Describes the VA urine-biomonitoring and health-surveillance programs for veterans with retained embedded fragments, reporting that elevated systemic DU exposure continues in veterans with DU fragments and remains a concern, though no clinically significant DU-related health effects had been observed to date.
Why it helps: Supports the recognized basis for ongoing VA monitoring of veterans with retained DU fragments and the continued systemic exposure those fragments cause, relevant to documenting a service-connected exposure.
Every citation is real and verified against PubMed. This is general information, not medical or legal advice — your accredited VSO or representative can advise on your specific claim.
Evidence Checklist
Gather these types of evidence before filing your claim. The strongest claims include multiple evidence types.
Common Treatments
Documenting ongoing treatment strengthens your claim and supports higher ratings.
Secondary Conditions Linked to Depleted Uranium Exposure
These conditions are commonly claimed as secondary to Depleted Uranium Exposure. A secondary condition can increase your overall combined rating and monthly compensation.
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Filing a Depleted Uranium Exposureclaim? Don't skip these.
Most veterans filing for Depleted Uranium Exposure should also be looking at:
Quick calculator
Estimate your combined rating →
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Health care
Estimate your VA Priority Group →
Priority Group 1-8 determines what care you get and what it costs. Service-connected = lower copays, full access.
Where you live
Compare 50 state veteran benefits →
State property tax exemptions for SC vets vary 10x. Some states fully exempt 100%-rated vets, others give nothing.
Home buying
VA home loan + funding fee waiver →
ANY service-connected rating waives the funding fee. On a $400K loan that's ~$8,600 saved.
Draft your Depleted Uranium Exposure personal statement
7-step wizard that builds your VA claim personal statement using your own words. Detects presumptive eligibility, cites 38 CFR + DBQ, includes federal-crime disclosure. You review and edit before filing.
Start draftingNot legal or medical advice. Always have a VSO or accredited rep review before filing.
Start Your Depleted Uranium Exposure VA Claim
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Secondary Condition Claim Guides
Detailed guides on claiming each secondary condition linked to Depleted Uranium Exposure.
Depleted Uranium Exposure Claim Guide by State
Find state-specific VA facilities, veteran benefits, and filing resources.
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Educational content, not professional advice
This article is published by Military Transition Toolkit for educational and planning purposes. It is not legal, medical, or financial advice. VA rating criteria, benefits, and regulations change — verify anything benefits-affecting against VA.gov, 38 CFR Part 4, or a VA-accredited representative (VSO, agent, or attorney) before filing.
MTT is a veteran-owned planning tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or any military branch.