Cancer Screening for Veterans: What the VA Offers

For many veterans, the cancers that worry them most are the ones that may be connected to their service. Burn pits, contaminated drinking water, firefighting foam, and industrial solvents have all been associated with elevated cancer risks in studies of military populations, and the PACT Act of 2022 made more than 20 of those conditions presumptive for VA benefits. What gets less attention is the other half of the equation: catching cancer early enough to treat it. VA health care offers a fairly broad menu of screenings, and veterans enrolled in the system are entitled to ask for them.

The four routine screenings VA recommends

According to the VA National Oncology Program, VA recommends routine screening for four cancers: lung, colorectal, breast, and cervical.

Lung cancer screening uses a quick, painless low-dose CT scan. Eligibility generally follows national guidelines: veterans ages 50 to 80 who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years, and who have at least a 20 pack-year history (the equivalent of one pack a day for 20 years). The stakes are significant. VA has said lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among veterans, with roughly 8,000 diagnosed each year and nearly 900,000 potentially eligible for screening, and the agency has been expanding its lung cancer screening program across its medical facilities. Once enrolled, eligible veterans typically receive an annual scan.

Colorectal cancer screening is recommended for adults ages 45 to 75 at average risk. Options include an at-home fecal immunochemical test (FIT) done annually, a sigmoidoscopy roughly every five years, or a colonoscopy roughly every ten. The FIT kit can be mailed in, which makes it one of the easier screenings to complete for veterans far from a VA facility.

Breast cancer screening with mammography is offered to women veterans starting at age 40, generally every other year through age 74, with annual screening available as an option and individualized decisions for women 75 and older. Cervical cancer screening uses Pap and HPV tests, typically every three years for women ages 21 to 29 and every three to five years for women 30 to 65, depending on the test used.

Prostate cancer: a conversation, not an automatic test

Prostate cancer screening at VA works differently. Because the PSA blood test can lead to both benefits and harms, VA recommends shared decision making: men ages 55 to 69 are encouraged to talk with their provider about their individual risk before deciding whether to be screened, and routine screening is not recommended for average-risk men over 70. VA specifically encourages Black veterans, who face a higher risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer, to have that conversation with their provider. Veterans with exposure histories, including service in Vietnam or at bases with documented contamination, may also want to raise that history when discussing screening.

The PACT Act toxic exposure screening and how to ask for it

Separate from these medical tests, every veteran enrolled in VA health care is now offered a toxic exposure screening under the PACT Act. VA facilities began providing it in November 2022, and VA says all enrolled veterans should receive it at least once every five years. The screening itself takes about five to ten minutes. A staff member asks whether you believe you were exposed to toxins during service, then walks through specific possibilities, including burn pits, Agent Orange, Gulf War hazards, radiation, and the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

It is worth understanding what the screening is and is not. It does not medically test for any disease, and it is not part of a benefits claim. What it does is document self-reported exposures in your health record and, when warranted, connect you with follow-up resources, registry exams, and a review by your primary care team. Veterans do not have to wait for a regular appointment: VA facilities have Toxic Exposure Screening Navigators, and you can call your local VA medical center and ask for the screening directly.

Why early detection matters for exposure-related cancers

Researchers suggest that many cancers associated with military exposures, including those linked to substances such as PFAS in firefighting foam, TCE, and asbestos, can develop years or decades after service. That long latency is exactly why screening matters: cancers found at an early stage are generally far more treatable, and VA's own data on lung cancer screening shows earlier-stage diagnoses among screened veterans. None of this replaces a conversation with your own care team, and screening guidelines can shift over time. But if you are enrolled in VA health care, the practical steps are simple: ask which screenings you are due for, ask for the toxic exposure screening if you have not had one, and mention your service history. More information is available at cancer.va.gov and on our resources page.