The Post Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA), form DD 2796, is a voluntary self-reporting form used to report on exposure events a Veteran experienced while deployed outside of the United States. The PDHA becomes part of the Veteran's service treatment records (STRs), so there may be one or multiple PDHAs in a C-file. The Veteran fills out some pages and a healthcare provider fills out other pages of this form. The PDHA is completed within 30 days after returning home or going to a processing station. Deployments, exposures, and past and present symptoms are queried in the PDHA. A review of this form will help you prepare for the examination, especially the medical history interview.

In fact, even if the Veteran later does not recall his or her exposure verbally during the examination, at the time of return from deployment, he or she likely submitted documentation to DoD recollecting exposure to environmental hazards such as dust and/or sand, fumes from exhaust, smoke, oil fires, burn pits, noise, etc. However, please keep in mind that while the PDHA may help you determine what the Veteran thinks were environmental hazards, he or she may not have full or accurate knowledge of all the environmental hazards that were present during his or her deployment. The Veteran generally completes the PDHA according to his or her knowledge.