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
On or after September 11, 2001, in any of these locations:
Afghanistan
Djibouti
Egypt
Jordan
Lebanon
Syria
Uzbekistan
Yemen
The airspace above any of these locations
On or after August 2, 1990, in any of these locations:
Bahrain
Iraq
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The airspace above any of these locations
Agent Orange Veterans
High blood pressure (also called hypertension)
Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)
NEW qualified service areas for Vietnam Veterans
Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976
Laos from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969
Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969
Guam or American Samoa or in the territorial waters off of Guam or American Samoa from January 9, 1962, through July 30, 1980
Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called at Johnston Atoll from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977
NEW radiation exposure locations
Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll, from January 1, 1977, through December 31, 1980
Cleanup of the Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons off the coast of Palomares, Spain, from January 17, 1966, through March 31, 1967
Response to the fire onboard an Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons near Thule Air Force Base in Greenland from January 21, 1968, to September 25, 1968
#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
you can receive care and enroll during a special enrollment period between October 1, 2022, and October 1, 2023.
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 both of these must be true for you:
You were discharged or released between September 11, 2001, and October 1, 2013, and
You haven’t enrolled in VA health care before
#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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