Do You Qualify for VA Health Benefits? | Sponsored

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On Aug. 10, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (PACT Act). The PACT Act is one of the largest health care and benefit expansions in the history of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The PACT Act will help VA provide generations of Veterans and their survivors with services they’ve earned and deserve.

What is the PACT Act?

The PACT Act expands VA health care eligibility for Veterans with toxic exposure to toxins during the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras. The PACT Act:

Adds more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures.
Adds more presumptive exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation.

What is toxic exposure?

The term “toxic exposure” refers to a subset of military environmental exposures. Whether an exposure is “toxic” is determined by four factors: substance, concentration of exposure, route of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, etc.), and duration of exposure. There are many types of possible exposures or hazards Veterans may have experienced during their military service:

Chemicals: Herbicides (Agent Orange) used during the Vietnam War era, burn pits and sulfur fires in Iraq, water supplies at Camp Lejeune during specific time periods, pesticides used during Operation Desert Storm, and exposure to depleted uranium and industrial solvents
Air Pollutants: Burn pits, oil well fires, and sulfur fires in Iraq. Additional air pollutants may include exposure to the Atsugi (Japan) waste incinerator, or sand, dust, and very small, fine particles or liquid droplets
Occupational Hazards: Asbestos, industrial solvents, lead, radiation, vibration, noise, fuels, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), and special paint used on military vehicles
Radiation: Exposure to nuclear weapons and testing, x-rays, and/or depleted uranium
Warfare Agents: Chemical weapons, Project 112/Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD), herbicide tests and storage, and chemical experiments

What does it mean to have a presumptive condition for toxic exposure?

VA disability ratings require a Veteran’s disability to be connected to military service. For some conditions, you may have to prove the connection to your service. But for other conditions, VA assumes that your service caused your condition. These are called “presumptive conditions.”

The PACT Act includes new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures. To see a complete list of the new presumptive conditions and presumptive exposure service locations, visit The PACT Act and your VA benefits at www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/.

For Vietnam-era Veterans

Vietnam-era Veterans who served in the following locations and time periods are eligible to apply for enrollment:

Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975
Thailand at any U.S. or Royal Thai base between Jan. 9, 1962, and June 30, 1976
Laos between Dec. 1, 1965, and Sept. 30, 1969
Certain provinces in Cambodia between April 16, 1969, and April 30, 1969
Guam or American Samoa (or their territorial waters) between Jan. 9, 1962, and July 31, 1980
Johnston Atoll (or a ship that called there) between Jan. 1, 1972, and Sept. 30, 1977

For Gulf War-era Veterans

Gulf War-era Veterans who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations after Operation Desert Strom may be eligible to enroll in VA health care. This also includes Veterans who, in connection with service during such period, received the following awards or recognitions:

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Service Specific Expeditionary Medal
Combat Era Specific Expeditionary Medal
Campaign Specific Expeditionary Medal
Any other combat theater award established by Federal statute or Executive Order.

For Post-9/11 Veterans

Post-9/11 Veterans discharged before Oct. 1, 2013, can enroll in VA health care during a special one-year enrollment period between Oct. 1, 2022, and Oct. 1, 2023. To be eligible, one of the following must be true:

They served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after Operation Desert Storm, or
They served in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities after Nov. 11, 1998.