The Department of Defense ran Project 112 and Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD) from 1962 to 1974, spraying live chemical and biological warfare agents near ships and test sites while service members stood on deck, and VA today confirms there are no presumptive conditions tied to that exposure. That single fact is the pain point. Veterans who breathed sarin simulants, VX agents, and biological stand-ins are told their claims will be decided case by case, on evidence they were never given. This guide lays out what VA actually requires in 2026, which declassified records still exist, and how to assemble a Project 112/SHAD claim that a rater can approve.
Key Takeaways
- Confirm participation in Project 112 or Project SHAD testing between 1962 and 1974, the window VA uses for eligibility.
- Expect no presumptive shortcut, because VA decides every SHAD claim individually on the evidence submitted.
- Pull the declassified Defense Department fact sheets that name specific tests, ships, and units.
- Build the three-part chain VA requires: current diagnosis, in-service exposure, and a medical link between them.
- Secure a nexus opinion from a physician who has actually reviewed the test fact sheet for the veteran's ship.
- Track survivor eligibility, since dependents of veterans who died from testing-related illness may also qualify.
Table of Contents
- Who Qualifies as a Project 112/SHAD Participant
- Building the Evidence File When Records Were Classified
- Filing Strategy Without a Presumptive Pathway
- Step-by-Step Submission of a SHAD Claim
- After Filing: Exams, Decisions, and Appeals
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Who Qualifies as a Project 112/SHAD Participant
VA states the eligibility test plainly on its Project 112/SHAD disability page: the veteran must have been part of Project 112 or Project SHAD testing from 1962 to 1974, and must have a health condition believed to be caused by that testing. Both conditions must be true. There is no third pathway, and no registry enrollment substitutes for proof of participation.
The frustration for most veterans is that nobody told them they were participants. Project 112 was the land-based arm of the program; Project SHAD was the shipboard arm. Crews were told they were running readiness drills. Decontamination exercises were logged as routine. Many service treatment records contain no mention of an agent, a test name, or a spray event, because the program was classified for roughly three decades.
That silence does not end eligibility. VA does not require the veteran to have known what was being tested. It requires that the veteran was present. Participation can be established through unit assignment, ship assignment during a documented test window, or Defense Health Agency confirmation. Veterans who served aboard vessels later named in declassified fact sheets are frequently able to establish presence from a DD-214, duty station history, and deck-log era records alone. What matters to the rater is documented placement during the test window, not the veteran's recollection of it.
Survivors and Dependents
Eligibility does not close when the veteran dies. VA confirms that surviving spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents of veterans who died from health problems related to Project 112/SHAD participation may be eligible for health care, compensation, education, and home loan benefits. Survivors filing in 2026 should treat the veteran's participation evidence as the foundation of their own claim, because the same proof of presence carries forward into a Dependency and Indemnity Compensation file.
Building the Evidence File When Records Were Classified
The central obstacle in a Project 112/SHAD claim is documentary. Service treatment records rarely show the exposure, so the evidence must be assembled from outside the STR file. The good news is that the Defense Department declassified and published test-level fact sheets, and VA points veterans directly to them for information about a specific test site, ship, or unit.
Those fact sheets are the backbone of a strong claim. Congressional testimony on the program established that of roughly 134 tests planned, about 46 were actually carried out, involving an estimated 6,000 service members. Each surviving fact sheet identifies the test name, dates, location, participating vessels or units, and the agents or simulants released. A fact sheet naming the veteran's ship during the veteran's assignment period is the closest thing to an exposure record that exists.
Records to Request First
Start with the complete service personnel file and service treatment records, which establish where the veteran was and when. Add the DD-214 and any assignment orders. Then match those dates against the Health.mil fact sheet library. Where a gap remains, the Defense Health Agency maintains an exposure information line that can confirm whether a veteran may have been part of the tests and can accept information that helps prove participation.
Lay Evidence That Carries Weight
Buddy statements matter more here than in an ordinary claim. A shipmate describing a spray run, protective-mask drills, topside wash-downs, or unexplained illness in the days after an exercise supplies detail no official record preserved. The veteran's own statement should describe what was observed rather than what was later learned, since firsthand observation is competent lay evidence. Private medical records showing the onset and progression of the claimed condition complete the file, and a short timeline tying the two together helps the rater follow the evidence.
Filing Strategy Without a Presumptive Pathway
VA's position is explicit: VA does not presume by regulation that any specific disabilities are related to participation in Project 112/SHAD, and veterans' claims are decided on a case-by-case basis. This is the strategic fact that shapes everything else. A Camp Lejeune or Agent Orange claimant can point to a presumptive list. A SHAD claimant cannot. The claim must carry direct service connection on its own evidence.
Direct service connection requires three linked elements: a current diagnosed disability, an in-service event or exposure, and competent medical evidence connecting the two. In a SHAD file, the exposure element is proven by the declassified fact sheet plus assignment records. The medical link is proven by a nexus opinion. Missing either one is the most common reason these claims are denied.
Fully Developed Claim or Standard Claim
The Fully Developed Claim program asks the veteran to submit all evidence at filing in exchange for faster review. For a routine claim, that is usually the better trade. For a Project 112/SHAD claim, the calculation is different. If the veteran already holds the fact sheet, the personnel file, the nexus opinion, and the private treatment records, the Fully Developed Claim is the right route and moves quickly.
If any of those records are still outstanding, particularly federal records the veteran cannot obtain alone, the standard claim route is often stronger. Under the standard route VA's duty to assist obligates the agency to make reasonable efforts to obtain federal records on the veteran's behalf. Filing fully developed with a thin file simply produces a faster denial. Speed is only an advantage when the file is already complete. Veterans unsure which route fits should inventory the file first, listing every required document and marking what is in hand, because that inventory answers the question directly.
Step-by-Step Submission of a SHAD Claim
A Project 112/SHAD claim follows the same machinery as any disability claim, with one addition: the exposure must be documented before the claim is decided, not after. VA provides a Special Issue Hotline for these claims, staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, which exists because these files need handling that standard intake does not provide.
- File an Intent to File. This locks the effective date and preserves up to a year of potential back pay while the evidence is gathered. For a claim requiring declassified records, that year is often needed.
- Request the records. Order the service personnel file, service treatment records, and the relevant Health.mil fact sheet. Contact the Defense Health Agency exposure line if participation is uncertain.
- Obtain the medical evidence. Secure a current diagnosis from a treating physician and private treatment records establishing history and severity.
- Get the nexus opinion. Provide the reviewing physician with the fact sheet, the assignment records, and the diagnosis, then request a written opinion on whether the condition is at least as likely as not related to the documented exposure.
- Submit the claim. File the disability compensation application with every document attached, and identify Project 112/SHAD by name in the claim so it routes correctly.
Naming the Exposure Correctly
Write “Project 112/SHAD chemical and biological warfare agent testing” in the claim, along with the test name from the fact sheet if known. A claim that says only “chemical exposure in the Navy” may never reach a rater who recognizes the program.
Filing With Help
VA-accredited Veterans Service Organizations file these claims at no charge and often hold institutional knowledge of which ships appear in which fact sheets. For a program this obscure, that experience is worth seeking out before submission rather than after a denial.
After Filing: Exams, Decisions, and Appeals
Once the claim is filed, VA reviews the evidence and typically schedules a Compensation and Pension examination. One presumptive rule does reach this population from a different direction: VA presumes that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosed in any veteran with 90 days or more of continuous active military service is related to service, though VA notes ALS is not tied to a specific military exposure. Veterans with an ALS diagnosis should file on that basis regardless of SHAD participation, because it removes the nexus burden entirely.
The C&P Examination
The examiner is assessing current severity and, often, offering an opinion on causation. Bring the fact sheet. Examiners are rarely familiar with Project 112/SHAD, and an examiner who does not know the exposure occurred cannot weigh it. Describe symptoms at their worst rather than on a good day, and describe how the condition limits work and daily function, because that is what the rating criteria measure. Bring a written symptom summary so nothing is forgotten under time pressure, and request a copy of the examination report afterward so its accuracy can be checked against what was actually reported.
If the Decision Disappoints
Read the rating decision to find the exact element VA found missing. Most SHAD denials fail on nexus, not on exposure. If the denial cites an inadequate medical opinion, a Supplemental Claim with a stronger independent medical opinion addressing the specific agents named in the fact sheet is usually the right next step. If the evidence was complete and VA applied the law incorrectly, a Higher-Level Review puts the same record in front of a senior reviewer without new evidence. An appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals is available where a judge should hear the case. Each lane carries its own deadline, so confirm current timelines on VA.gov before choosing one.
Know Where the Claim Stands Before Filing
A Project 112/SHAD claim lives or dies on whether the file is complete before it reaches a rater, and most veterans do not learn which piece was missing until the denial letter explains it. The Free VA Claim Readiness Test at avoyvet.com walks through the evidence a claim needs and shows where the gaps are while there is still time to close them. AVOY Veteran Navigator AI answers questions there on exposure claims, evidence, ratings, appeals, and survivor benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a presumptive condition list for Project 112/SHAD?
No. VA states that it does not presume by regulation that any specific disabilities are related to participation in Project 112/SHAD, and that claims are decided on a case-by-case basis. This differs sharply from Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, and PACT Act burn pit claims, where qualifying service plus a listed condition creates the connection automatically. For SHAD, the veteran must prove a current diagnosis, documented participation in the testing, and a medical link between them. The absence of a list is not a bar to compensation. It means the evidence must carry the claim, which makes the nexus opinion and the declassified fact sheet the two most important documents in the file.
How can participation be proven if nobody was told about the tests?
Participation is usually established by matching service records against declassified Defense Department fact sheets. VA directs veterans to the Health.mil fact sheet library for information about a specific test site, ship, or unit. A veteran whose personnel file places them aboard a named vessel during a documented test window has strong evidence of presence, even with no mention of the program in service treatment records. The Defense Health Agency also maintains an exposure information line that can confirm whether a veteran may have been part of the tests and can receive information that helps prove participation. Where the personnel file is incomplete, deck logs, muster rolls, and shipmate statements placing the veteran aboard during the test window can close the gap.
What years of testing does VA recognize?
VA's disability eligibility page for Project 112/SHAD uses the window of 1962 to 1974. VA's public health materials describe the Defense Department tests as running from 1962 to 1973. Veterans whose service falls anywhere in that range and who may have been present at a test should pursue confirmation rather than assume exclusion. Because VA applies the broader 1962 to 1974 window on its benefits page, that is the range to reference when filing, and any uncertainty about a specific date should be resolved against the fact sheet for the test in question. A veteran whose service ended just outside the window should still check the fact sheets, because the operative question is presence at a test, not the calendar year alone.
Does Project 112/SHAD participation grant VA health care?
VA states that veterans who participated in Project 112/SHAD are eligible for VA health care, and that veterans must first enroll in the VA health care system to receive care. Health care eligibility and disability compensation are separate determinations. A veteran can be enrolled in VA health care based on participation while a compensation claim for a specific condition remains under review or is denied. Enrolling early is usually worthwhile for two reasons. The resulting VA treatment records become evidence supporting the compensation claim, and enrollment connects the veteran with an environmental health coordinator who is familiar with military exposure programs. That coordinator can help document concerns in the medical record in terms a rater will later recognize, which is difficult to reconstruct years afterward.
What does a strong nexus opinion for a SHAD claim look like?
A strong opinion comes from a physician who has reviewed the declassified fact sheet for the veteran's test, the assignment records establishing presence, and the current diagnosis. It states whether the condition is at least as likely as not related to the documented exposure, and it explains the medical reasoning connecting the specific agents released to the specific condition claimed. A one-line letter saying the condition might be related carries little weight. The opinion should engage with what was actually sprayed, which is why the fact sheet must be in the physician's hands before the opinion is written rather than described to them secondhand.
Can survivors file if the veteran has already died?
Yes. VA states that surviving spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents of veterans who died from health problems related to Project 112/SHAD participation may be eligible for health care, compensation, education, and home loan benefits. The survivor's file rests on the same foundation as the veteran's would have: proof of participation in the testing, medical evidence of the condition, and a link between the exposure and the cause of death. Records gathered during the veteran's lifetime remain usable, so families should preserve fact sheets, personnel files, and medical records rather than discard them after the estate is settled. A VA-accredited representative can help assemble the survivor file from what the veteran already collected.
What happens if the claim is denied?
Read the decision to identify the precise element VA found missing, because the correct next step depends on it. Most denials in this category turn on nexus rather than on exposure. Where new evidence such as a stronger independent medical opinion exists, a Supplemental Claim submits it for a fresh look. Where the record was complete but the law was misapplied, a Higher-Level Review places the same file before a senior reviewer. Where the case warrants a judge, an appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals is available. Each route carries its own filing deadline, so confirm current timelines on VA.gov and consider working with a VA-accredited representative.
Educational information only — not legal, medical, or claim representation, and not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For help filing or appealing, contact a VA-accredited VSO (often free), claims agent, or attorney. For current rates, forms, and deadlines, see VA.gov.
