VA BENEFITS REFERENCE
Chronic Rhinitis And Related Presumptive Pathways
Official presumptive service rules for Chronic rhinitis and 1 conditions sharing these pathways, including listed locations, dates, criteria and sources.
These 2 named conditions share the service pathways reproduced below. Their diagnosis must still match the condition named in the governing source. Each row retains its own dates and limitations. Listing a condition does not decide an individual award.
Conditions In This Reference
- Chronic rhinitis
- Chronic sinusitis
The table uses Chronic rhinitis as the row label; the same listed pathways apply to each condition above. Source-specific diagnoses remain distinct.
| Condition | Exposure | Listed Service Locations | Service Dates | Criteria And Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic rhinitis | Burn Pits and Particulates | Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and United Arab Emirates | On or after August 2, 1990 | VA lists this condition under the statutory toxic-exposure presumption. Diagnosis and the listed service requirements must be established; rebuttal rules apply. Covered active service at a duty station in a listed country or its airspace. 38 U.S.C. 1119 and 1120. Verified 2026-10-25. Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 |
| Chronic rhinitis | Burn Pits and Particulates | Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan and Yemen | On or after September 11, 2001 | VA lists this condition under the statutory toxic-exposure presumption. Diagnosis and the listed service requirements must be established; rebuttal rules apply. Covered active service at a duty station in a listed country or its airspace. 38 U.S.C. 1119 and 1120. Verified 2026-10-25. Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 |
| Rhinitis | Burn Pits and Particulates | Southwest Asia theater, including specified waters and airspace | On or after August 2, 1990, during the Persian Gulf War | The condition may manifest to any degree, including noncompensable, at any time after separation from qualifying service. The former ten-year limit is not applied. Regulatory rebuttal exceptions remain. The theater includes Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea, and the airspace above those locations. |
| Rhinitis | Burn Pits and Particulates | Afghanistan, Syria, Djibouti and Uzbekistan under the particulate rule | On or after September 19, 2001, during the Persian Gulf War | The condition may manifest to any degree, including noncompensable, at any time after separation from qualifying service. The former ten-year limit is not applied. Regulatory rebuttal exceptions remain. This is the country-service pathway in 38 CFR 3.320(a)(5)(ii), with its own starting date. 38 CFR 3.320. Verified 2026-10-25. Source 1 |
Read The Exposure Rules
Official Sources
Last verified 2026-10-25. Source publication or legal effective dates are shown separately where available.
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Use this resource to understand published information. VA and the official decision control individual benefits.