U.S. Marine with the Warfighter Exchange Service Team walks away from a burn pit at Forward Operating Base Zeebrudge in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, March 6, 2013. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Anthony L. Ortiz)
Veterans are expected to soon gain direct access to a federal system that tracks documented toxic and environmental exposures from their military service.
The Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record, or ILER, was developed jointly by VA and the Department of War to bring exposure information from multiple government databases into one electronic record. The system has been used by VA claims processors, healthcare providers, researchers, and other authorized personnel since 2019.
Service Members gained direct access to their own ILER records in March 2026. VA and DoW officials have said Veterans are expected to gain direct access to ILER by October 2026, although nationwide access had not yet been announced as of Oct. 5.
ILER can include deployment history, duty locations, occupational exposures, environmental hazards, monitoring data, and information from exposure-related registries. This information could give Veterans a clearer picture of what the government has recorded about exposures involving burn pits, contaminated environments, occupational hazards, and other potentially harmful substances or conditions encountered during service.
Veterans are expected to access an individual exposure summary through VA’s website using a secure sign-in method such as Login.gov. The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, reported that VA was still completing the system changes and testing needed before access could begin.
ILER records may also be useful when seeking VA healthcare or filing an exposure-related disability claim. VA personnel already use ILER information when reviewing some claims and determining whether a Veteran participated in a Toxic Exposure Risk Activity, commonly known as a TERA.
ILER itself does not determine whether a Veteran qualifies for benefits or what disability rating a Veteran receives. Those decisions still go through VA’s established claims and eligibility processes.
Editor’s Note: A Legion Veterans Service Officer can help Veterans file claims properly.
Access could also help Veterans find gaps or errors in their exposure history. The GAO reported that the VA plans to allow Veterans to request corrections to their records. Unlike Service Members, who can currently add self-reported exposure information, VA officials told the GAO in June that Veterans would not initially be able to add their own self-reported entries directly.
The records may not contain every exposure a Veteran experienced. Older military records, incomplete environmental monitoring, and missing historical information can leave gaps. The DoW and VA continue adding older records and additional exposure information to the system, and the VA estimated in April that about 3.2 million of the 6.8 million Veterans who had completed toxic exposure screenings since 2022 reported at least one potential military exposure.
Veterans who gain access to ILER will be able to see what information is already documented and request corrections when information is inaccurate or incomplete.
Author: Rikki Almanza
Rikki is a Web Content Coordinator for the American Legion, Department of California. With a deep-rooted family connection to the military, Rikki is committed to using her skills and knowledge to provide valuable assistance and resources to servicemembers and veterans.
