Disability Service Connection
To support a claim for service connection, the evidence must show:
VA FORM 21-526EZ, NOV 2022 Page 4
EVIDENCE TABLES
To support a claim for service connection based upon a period of active duty for training, the evidence must show:
To support a claim for service connection based upon a period of inactive duty training, the evidence must show:
In order to file a supplemental claim, you must submit or identify new and relevant evidence.
• To qualify as new, the evidence must not have been part of the evidentiary record at the time of the prior decision.
Presumptive Service Connection
• You served in a recognized location that qualifies you for the presumption of exposure; AND/OR
To support a claim for presumptive service connection the evidence must show:
• You have a current disability that qualifies you for the presumption of service connection. This may be shown by medical evidence or by lay
evidence of persistent and recurrent symptoms of disability that are visible or observable.
Under certain circumstances, VA may presume that certain current diseases were caused by service, even if there is no specific evidence proving
this in your particular claim. Service connection is presumed for certain diseases for the following veterans:
• Former prisoners of war;
• Veterans who have certain chronic or tropical diseases that become evident within a specific period of time after discharge from service;
• Veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation, mustard gas, or Lewisite while in service;
• Veterans who were exposed to certain herbicides, such as by service in/on:
o Vietnam or qualifying offshore waters, from January 9, 1962, through May 7, 1975;
o a unit determined by VA or the Department of Defense to have operated in the Korean DMZ, from September 1, 1967, through
August 31, 1971;
o individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reserve and regularly and repeatedly operated, maintained, or
served onboard C-123 aircraft known to have used to spray an herbicide agent during the Vietnam era;
o Thailand at any United States or Royal Thai base, from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976;
o Laos, from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969;
o Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province, from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969;
o Guam or American Samoa, or in the territorial waters thereof, from January 9, 1962, through July 31, 1980;
o Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called at Johnston Atoll, from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977.
• A relationship exists between your current disability and an injury, disease, symptoms, or event in service. This may be shown by medical
records or medical opinions or, in certain cases, by lay evidence.
• You have a current physical or mental disability. This may be shown by medical evidence or by lay evidence of persistent and recurrent
symptoms of disability that are visible or observable; AND
• You had an injury in service, or a disease that began in or was made permanently worse during service, or there was an event in service that
caused an injury or disease; AND
• You were disabled during active duty for training due to disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; AND
• You have a current physical or mental disability. This may be shown by medical evidence or by lay evidence of persistent and recurrent
symptoms of disability that are visible or observable; AND
• There is a relationship between your current disability and the disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active duty for training. This
may be shown by medical records or medical opinions or, in certain cases, by lay evidence.
• You were disabled during inactive duty training due to an injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty or an acute myocardial infarction,
cardiac arrest, or cerebrovascular accident during inactive duty training; AND
• You have a current physical or mental disability. This may be shown by medical evidence or by lay evidence of persistent and recurrent
symptoms of disability that are visible or observable; AND
• There is a relationship between your current disability and your inactive duty training. This may be shown by medical records or medical
opinions or, in certain cases, by lay evidence.
• In order to be considered relevant, the additional evidence must tend to prove or disprove a matter at issue in the claim.
• Veterans who served in the Gulf War:
• Veterans who served at Camp Lejeune for no less than 30 days (consecutive or nonconsecutive) between August 1, 1953 and December 31,
1987; or
o On or after August 2, 1990, and served in:
o On or after September 11, 2001, and served in:
§ Bahrain; Iraq; the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Somalia; United Arab
Emirates; the Gulf of Aden; the Gulf of Oman; the Persian Gulf; the Arabian Sea; the Red Sea; Afghanistan; Israel; Egypt;
Turkey; Syria; or Jordan; OR
§ Afghanistan; Djibouti; Egypt; Jordan; Lebanon; Syria; Yemen; or Uzbekistan.