Last year, under the leadership of President Biden, House Democrats delivered the most significant expansion of benefits to our veterans in more than 30 years by passing the PACT Act. This legislation stands up for those who served by ensuring veterans can receive high-quality healthcare screenings and services related to potential toxic exposures.
The law makes over 3 million veterans eligible for the care and benefits they have earned, instead of forcing them to go through an onerous process of proving that their illness was related to their service.
“There is no higher responsibility, no greater moral obligation that we have as elected officials, as public servants, than to be there for the people who have been there for our country in such an important, and resounding and significant way,” said Leader Hakeem Jeffries at a Veterans’ resource event in Sheepshead Bay. “Since being signed into law, the PACT Act has made a profound impact on our nation’s veterans. More than 100,000 veterans have been able to enroll in VA healthcare subsequent to the passage of the PACT Act. More than 700,000 benefits claims have been filed. More than 4 million veterans have received toxic exposure screenings already. And most recently, despite the efforts by some in the Congress to strip away or to reduce veterans benefits, we were able to make sure that the Toxic Exposure Fund was fully funded by billions of dollars for the years to come.”
If you are a veteran and believe you are eligible to file for benefits under the PACT Act, be sure to file your claim or intent to file by August 9, 2023 to receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022.
The VA’s expanded eligibility period for Gulf War and Post-9/11 veterans under the PACT Act is set to end on October 1, 2023. Post-9/11 veterans who did not previously enroll in VA health care are eligible to apply until this deadline if they: served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Persian Gulf War or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities after November 11, 1998, and were discharged or released between September 11, 2001, and October 1, 2013.
PACT Act Resources
- To determine your eligibility and learn more, click here.
- To file a new claim, click here.
- For more information on PACT Act implementation, visit the VA PACT Act Dashboard here.
- If you have any questions, you can call VA 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-698-2411.
House Democrats will always honor the sacrifices our veterans have made for our nation. And we will always support our veterans back at home.