HEALTH CARE EXCEPTIONS Health care services may not be provided under the law for conditions that are found, after medical examination, to have resulted from a cause other than exposureto radiation. The following types of conditions are ordinarily considered to be due to a cause other than exposure to low-level ionizing radiation. a. Congenital or developmental conditions (conditions the veteran was born with orthat are hereditary); b. Conditions that the veteran had before military service; c. Conditions resulting from an injury; d. Conditions having a specific and well-established cause, e.g., tuberculosis, gout; and e. Common, well-understood conditions, such as inguinal hernia and acute appendicitis. If the examining physician believes that a veteran requires care for any of these conditions and presents a complicating circumstance that makes the provision of care under this authority appropriate, he or she may decide to provide it after consulting with the facility chief of staff and the environmental physician. CLAIMS FOR COMPENSATION BENEFITS Public Law 97-72 provides for health care only. If a veteran is found to be eligible for care under this law, the decision does not meanthatthe disability is service-connected, nor does it in any way affect determinations regarding entitlement for compensation. Claims for compensationfor disabilities the veteran believes are due to exposureto radiation should be filed with the VA regional office. ¢ Individual veterans should contact the nearest VA medica! center to determinetheir eligibility for health care. If the veteran possesses any military records, they should be brought to the medical center in order to speed the process of determiningeligibility and providing medical care. Veterans who cannotreceive needed medical care under Public Law 97-72 may be treated by the VA if they are eligible under any other law. Figure 4. VA medical care available to eligible veterans of U.S. atmospheric nuclear testing and the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan (Continued). 58