Is Myelodysplastic syndromes a presumptive condition?
The short answer
Yes. VA lists Myelodysplastic syndromes as presumptive for Burn pits and other toxic exposures (Gulf War era and post-9/11) and Camp Lejeune contaminated water.
That means you would not have to prove the medical link between this condition and your service. It does notmean a claim is approved. You still need a current diagnosis, service that meets the requirement for that exposure, and a discharge that isn't dishonorable, and VA decides every case itself.
Worth knowing: this condition appears under more than one exposure track. The tracks have different service requirements, so more than one path may be relevant depending on where and when you served.
Burn pits and other toxic exposures (Gulf War era and post-9/11)
How VA publishes it: publichealth.va.gov. 38 CFR 3.320b(b)(4) reads "Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)."
Qualifying locations and dates
Afghanistan
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Djibouti
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Egypt
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Jordan
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Lebanon
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Syria
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Yemen
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Uzbekistan
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
The airspace above any of these locations
Dates: On or after September 11, 2001
Bahrain
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Iraq
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Kuwait
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Oman
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Qatar
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Saudi Arabia
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Somalia
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
The airspace above any of these locations
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Arabian Sea
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Gulf of Aden
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Gulf of Oman
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Persian Gulf
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Red Sea
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
Neutral zone between Iraq/Saudi Arabia
Dates: On or after August 2, 1990
A large sulfur fire at Mishraq State Sulfur Mine near Mosul, Iraq
Dates: No separate date range published; VA lists this on the specific environmental hazards eligibility page as a way a veteran may have had exposure
Hexavalent chromium at the Qarmat Ali water treatment plant in Basra, Iraq
Dates: No separate date range published; listed by VA as a way a veteran may have had exposure
Pollutants from a waste incinerator near the Naval Air Facility at Atsugi, Japan
Dates: No separate date range published; listed by VA as a way a veteran may have had exposure
Any other country determined relevant by VA (none at this time)
Dates: Not applicable; placeholder published by VA
Afghanistan, Syria, Djibouti, or Uzbekistan, under the separate fine-particulate-matter rule at 38 CFR 3.320
Dates: On or after September 19, 2001
Everything listed under burn pits and other toxic exposures (gulf war era and post-9/11)
Camp Lejeune contaminated water
How VA publishes it: Health care list wording. The disability list says "Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes."
Qualifying locations and dates
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Dates: At least 30 days total between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, North Carolina
Dates: At least 30 days total between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987
What to do with this
Nothing on this page is advice about your claim, and it can't tell you whether you qualify. If the dates and places above look like your service, that is a conversation for a free accredited representative. If VA denied this condition before it became presumptive, VA says you can file a Supplemental Claim and it will look again.
Get your records together first
These claims turn on two things: proof of where and when you served, and a documented diagnosis. MusterVault keeps both encrypted and organized on your own computer and builds a packet for your representative.
Educational only, not legal, medical, or claims advice. Condition names are reproduced exactly as VA publishes them and were checked August 6, 2026. VA revises these pages often and its own pages sometimes disagree, so treat VA's live pages as authoritative. MusterVault is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.