The PACT ACT Passed!

5 Important Facts EVERYONE Needs To Know about this Groundbreaking Legislature and How it Applies to YOUR VA Disability Claims Process.

Formal law name: The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act

#1: This Law is not limited to Gulf War Veterans.

There are components that apply to Agent Orange Vietnam Veterans and those Veterans who were exposed to radiation

#2: This Law adds 23 new presumptive conditions to the list for service-connection

Gulf War and Post 9-11 Veterans

These cancers are now presumptive:

• Brain cancer

• Gastrointestinal cancer of any type

• Glioblastoma

• Head cancer of any type

• Kidney cancer

• Lymphatic cancer of any type

• Lymphoma of any type

• Melanoma

• Neck cancer

• Pancreatic cancer

• Reproductive cancer of any type

• Respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type

These illnesses are now presumptive:

• Asthma that was diagnosed after service

• Chronic bronchitis

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Chronic rhinitis

• Chronic sinusitis

• Constrictive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis

• Emphysema

• Granulomatous disease

• Interstitial lung disease (ILD)

• Pleuritis

• Pulmonary fibrosis

• Sarcoidosis

Qualified service locations for Gulf War and Post 9-11 Veterans

Agent Orange Veterans

NEW qualified service areas for Vietnam Veterans

NEW radiation exposure locations

#3: This Law expands healthcare access for post 9-11 combat veterans

The previous regulation stated that you needed to sign up for healthcare with the VA within 5 years after leaving service and now it has been expanded to 10 years after leaving service! There is also a 1 year open enrollment period if you fall outside of that 10 year window.

Criteria for Veterans discharged after October 1, 2013

At least one of these must be true of your active-duty service:

• You served in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Persian Gulf War, or

• You served in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities after November 11, 1998

And this must be true for you:

• You were discharged or released on or after October 1, 2013

Criteria for Veterans discharged before October 1, 2013

#4: This Law changes how the VA evaluates claim

There is now a more expedited process for evaluating toxic exposure claims

#5: This Law adds much needed resources for education, training, and access to services

There are now more allocated funds to research the harmful effects from toxic exposure, set up sites internationally, funds for education, funds to train personnel, and funds to increase accessibility of VA healthcare.

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