Chronic diseases that appear within a year of leaving service

← Presumptive Condition Checker

Who qualifies

90 days or more of active service in a row, during a war or any time after December 31, 1946.

• I served on active duty for 90 days or more in a rowDuring a war or any time after December 31, 1946.38 CFR 3.307(a)(1)

Conditions VA presumes (40)

• Primary anemia38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Arthritis38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Progressive muscular atrophy38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Brain hemorrhage or brain thrombosis (types of stroke)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Bronchiectasis38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Stones in the kidney, bladder or gallbladder (calculi)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Cardiovascular-renal disease, including high blood pressure (hypertension)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Cirrhosis of the liver38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Coccidioidomycosis (valley fever)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Diabetes mellitus38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Residuals of encephalitis lethargica38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Endocarditis, which covers all forms of heart valve disease38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Endocrinopathies (hormone gland diseases), such as thyroid disease38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Epilepsies (seizure disorders)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Hansen's disease (leprosy)Within 3 years after you left active duty.38 CFR 3.309(a); 3.307(a)(3)
• Hodgkin's disease38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Leukemia38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Myasthenia gravis38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Nephritis (kidney inflammation)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Other organic diseases of the nervous systemVA has treated sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus in some cases, as organic diseases of the nervous system.38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Paget's disease of bone (osteitis deformans)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Osteomalacia38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Bulbar palsy38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Parkinson's disease (paralysis agitans)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Psychoses38 CFR 3.309(a); 3.384
• Idiopathic hemorrhagic purpura38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Raynaud's disease38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Sarcoidosis38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Scleroderma38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)Within 7 years after you left active duty.38 CFR 3.309(a); 3.307(a)(3)
• Syringomyelia38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans)38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Active tuberculosisWithin 3 years after you left active duty.38 CFR 3.309(a); 3.307(a)(3)
• Malignant tumors (cancer), and any tumor of the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerves38 CFR 3.309(a)
• Peptic ulcers (stomach or duodenal ulcers)38 CFR 3.309(a)

Time limit

Must have appeared, at a level of at least 10%, within 1 year after you left active duty. The limit is 3 years for Hansen's disease (leprosy) and tuberculosis, and 7 years for multiple sclerosis. A doctor doesn't have to have diagnosed it in that time. What matters is that signs of it showed up then.

You'd still need to show

• A current diagnosis of the condition from a doctor or other medical provider.
• Records that show your qualifying service, such as your DD214, orders, or unit or ship records.
• A discharge that isn't dishonorable.
• Medical records or statements that show signs of the condition within the time limit.

Even when a condition is on a list, VA can still decide it was caused by something else if there is evidence of that (the presumption can be rebutted).

The law: 38 U.S.C. 1112(a) · 38 CFR 3.307(a)(1)–(3), (c) · 38 CFR 3.309(a)
On VA.gov: Chronic illnesses that appear within 1 year of discharge

Regulation text current as of October 15, 2026. This is general information from a free tool, not legal or medical advice, and not a decision. Only VA decides claims.