VA Disability for 15T UH-60 Helicopter Repairer: Common Conditions & Presumptives

VA Disability for 15T (UH-60 Helicopter Repairer)

Army 15T (UH-60 Helicopter Repairer) is a job that typically involved hazardous noise, heavy loads and impact, repetitive strain, vibration, and posture, and fuels, exhaust, and petroleum products. That pattern is why veterans who held it commonly claim conditions like tinnitus, hearing loss, back or neck strain, and limited shoulder motion. This page covers the general pattern for the job, not your record.

Typical exposures for 15T

These are the general hazards that came with the job. Your own exposure depends on your units, deployments, and duties.

Hazardous noise
Weapons fire, engines, aircraft, generators, or machinery at levels linked to tinnitus and hearing loss.
Heavy loads and impact
Rucks, body armor, lifting, carrying patients or ammunition, and hard landings that wear on the back, knees, and feet.
Repetitive strain, vibration, and posture
The same motion thousands of times, long hours seated in vehicles or at a console, or constant vibration from vehicles and tools.
Fuels, exhaust, and petroleum products
JP-8, JP-5, diesel, turbine oil, and engine exhaust handled or breathed on the job. About this exposure →
Chemicals and solvents
Solvents, degreasers, paints, cleaning agents, and other industrial chemicals used in the field, the shop, or on the line.

Conditions commonly associated with 15T

Veterans who held this job commonly claim the conditions below. Each still needs a current diagnosis and evidence linking it to your service.

TinnitusDC 6260Frequently claimed
Turbine engine noise, rotor wash, flight line operations
Hearing lossDC 6100Frequently claimed
Constant helicopter engine and rotor noise exposure
Lumbosacral/cervical strainDC 5237Frequently claimed
Lifting heavy aircraft components, awkward positions
Shoulder, limitation of motionDC 5201Frequently claimed
Overhead maintenance, reaching into engine compartments
Elbow/forearm, limitation of flexionDC 5206Also commonly claimed
Repetitive torquing, wrenching in tight spaces
Eczema/dermatitisDC 7806Also commonly claimed
JP-8 fuel, hydraulic fluid, solvents, degreasers
Degenerative arthritisDC 5003Also commonly claimed
Repetitive motion maintenance tasks
Knee, limitation of flexionDC 5260Also commonly claimed
Kneeling on tarmac, climbing aircraft
Ankle, limited motionDC 5271Also commonly claimed
Uneven terrain, ruck marches, and obstacle-course training throughout service
Foot injuries, otherDC 5284Also commonly claimed
Boots, marching, long days on feet, cumulative across any military role
AsthmaDC 6602Sometimes claimed
Chemical fumes from solvents, fuels, exhaust

PACT Act presumptives for 15T veterans

Many soldiers in this job deployed to Southwest Asia or the post-9/11 theater. Under the PACT Act, the presumption is based on where and when you served, not on your job title. It covers Gulf War service on or after August 2, 1990 in places such as Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates, and post-9/11 service on or after September 11, 2001 in places such as Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

If you served in a qualifying location and are later diagnosed, the VA treats certain conditions as presumed service-connected, so you do not have to prove the exposure caused them. The list includes asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, constrictive bronchiolitis, and a range of cancers. Holding this job does not by itself mean you have any of them.

Full PACT Act burn pit list and locations → Gulf War Illness →

Earlier eras carry their own location-based presumptives, such as Agent Orange and Camp Lejeune water contamination.

This is the general pattern, not your claim. Most veterans held more than one job, served at specific bases, and worked specific aircraft or ships. Which conditions fit you, how they combine, and what they rate together depends on that full record.

Get your version in the app

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Common questions

Does the VA have a list of conditions for 15T?

No. The VA does not keep a list of disabilities by MOS, AFSC, or rating. It decides each claim on your own service records, medical evidence, and exam. What a job typically exposed people to can help explain how a condition started, which is why knowing the pattern for 15T UH-60 Helicopter Repairer is useful.

What conditions do 15T veterans commonly claim?

Veterans who served as Army 15T (UH-60 Helicopter Repairer) commonly claim conditions such as tinnitus, hearing loss, back or neck strain, limited shoulder motion, limited elbow motion, and eczema or dermatitis. Each one still needs its own diagnosis and a link to service.

Are 15T veterans covered by the PACT Act?

The PACT Act presumptions are based on where and when you served, not on your job. If you served in a qualifying Gulf War or post-9/11 location, certain respiratory conditions and cancers are presumed service-connected.