Last year Harder passed legislation to provide benefits to 34,000 veterans exposed to Agent Orange; this legislation provides benefits to an estimated additional 50,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to toxins during their service
(taken from Representative Josh Harder’s website)
WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden signed the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act into law. The bill will provide new and expanded medical benefits to more than 3.5 million veterans across the country. The bill includes legislation authored by Representative Josh Harder expanding the pool of Vietnam veterans eligible for benefits due to exposure to Agent Orange.Rep. Harder’s grandfather passed away due to health complications caused by Agent Orange exposure when he was a child.
Last year, Rep. Harder successfully passed legislation extending benefits to more than 34,000 veterans experiencing bladder cancer, Parkinsonism, or hypothyroidism due to a toxic exposure during their service. This legislation adds hypertension and Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) to this list, opening up additional health care benefits to an estimated 50,000 Vietnam veterans.
“Today is a great day. President Biden, by signing this bill, just delivered long overdue health care to more than 50,000 of our Vietnam veterans exposed to toxins like Agent Orange during their service,” said Rep. Harder. “My grandfather passed away when I was a little kid due to toxic exposures during his service, but he would be proud to see what we’ve accomplished for the men and women who fought alongside him all those years ago.”
Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and have certain medical conditions get access to benefits and support through the VA. However, before Rep. Harder’s successful pushes, veterans with bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, Parkinsonism, hypertension, and MGUS were not included – despite comprehensive medical evidence linking these conditions to Agent Orange exposure.
The PACT Act and your VA benefits
The PACT Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. This law helps us provide generations of Veterans — and their survivors — with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.
This page will help answer your questions about what the PACT Act means for you or your loved ones. You can also call us at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711). And you can file a claim for PACT Act-related disability compensation or apply for VA health care now.
What’s the PACT Act and how will it affect my VA benefits and care?
The PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history. The full name of the law is The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.
The PACT Act will bring these changes:
- Expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras
- Adds more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures
- Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation
- Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care
- Helps us improve research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures
If you’re a Veteran or survivor, you can file claims now to apply for PACT Act-related benefits.Back to top
What does it mean to have a presumptive condition for toxic exposure?
To get a VA disability rating, your disability must connect to your military service. For many health conditions, you need to prove that your service caused your condition.
But for some conditions, we automatically assume (or “presume”) that your service caused your condition. We call these “presumptive conditions.”
We consider a condition presumptive when it’s established by law or regulation.
If you have a presumptive condition, you don’t need to prove that your service caused the condition. You only need to meet the service requirements for the presumption.Back to top
