Name
#210 Toxic Exposure Screening and VET-HOME Evaluations: Meeting the Needs of Veterans with Exposure-Related Concerns
Speakers
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
VHA/VA
Services/Agencies represented
Veterans Health Administration/Veterans Affairs (VHA/VA)
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care, Wellbeing, Policy/Management/Administrative
Learning Outcomes
1. The poster participant will be able to describe the mission, scope, and services of the VET-HOME program.
2. The poster participant will be able to compare and contrast TES, MEEAs, and EHREs.
3. The poster participant will be able to articulate the role of VET-HOME evaluations in meeting the needs of Veterans with exposure-related concerns.
2. The poster participant will be able to compare and contrast TES, MEEAs, and EHREs.
3. The poster participant will be able to articulate the role of VET-HOME evaluations in meeting the needs of Veterans with exposure-related concerns.
Session Currently Live
Description
On November 8, 2022, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers and clinics began screening all enrolled Veterans for toxic exposures. The development and implementation of a toxic exposure screening (TES) was required by section 603 of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The VA TES is designed to identify and document health conditions related to environmental exposures during military service. An important step in prioritizing exposure-informed care for Veterans, TES connects veterans with VA healthcare services, disability compensation, and specialized treatments for conditions linked to toxic exposure.
The toxic exposure screening is now a standard part of VA healthcare, meaning that every enrolled Veteran is eligible for at least one screening. The dialogue that occurs during this screening is one of the first and most important steps towards exposure-informed care. Depending on the results of the initial screening, many Veterans are offered diagnostic testing and/or a secondary evaluation with a clinical provider.
As VA’s new national hub serving Veterans with military environmental exposures, the Veterans Exposure Team – Health Outcomes Military Exposures (VET-HOME) program performs free Toxic Exposure Screening (TES), Military Environmental Exposure Assessments (MEEAs), and Environmental Health Registry Evaluations (EHREs) via telehealth for Veterans anywhere in the United States or U.S. territories.
Due to limited resources, some VA facilities are not able to meet the timeline requirements associated with TES completion. Several notable barriers to completion of this process are staffing constraints, limited implementation in specialty programs, increased primary care workload, and competing clinical demands.
In January 2025, VET-HOME began outreaching Veterans at multiple VA facilities to complete their TES. Conducted every 5 years for all Veterans enrolled in VA health care, TES is a short questionnaire designed to identify Veterans who encountered toxic exposures while serving in the Armed Forces. Veterans with positive responses were then offered a follow-up clinical evaluation (either a MEEA or an EHRE) with a VET-HOME clinician. Both MEEAs and EHREs are hour-long clinical appointments that address the Veteran’s concerns, document their exposure history, and provide general clinical guidance and recommendations. This poster will review the role of VET-HOME evaluations in meeting the needs of Veterans with exposure-related concerns.