BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The Veteran Administration is accelerating access to government health care next month for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins, one of the largest ever expansions of veteran health care and a seismic shift in government policy from just a few years ago.
The PACT Act grants veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins in war zones health care coverage and disability payments they couldn’t get before.
WCAX first began reporting on the deadly impacts of the open-air trash fires back in 2018 after witnessing veterans living and working near them in Afghanistan in 2010. Soldiers breathed in the smoke that hung over the bases. Many got sick and many died.
Our investigation highlighted how for years the Defense Department and VA denied burn pit exposure claims, arguing more studies were needed. Congress finally passed — and the president signed — the PACT Act in 2022, and now eight years ahead of schedule, the VA on Monday announced a new streamlined process to enroll and receive benefits for anyone who was exposed abroad or at home.
“If they were working in a motor pool or they were in a particular base and there was a type of exposure that’s documented, they would be eligible under this, or they could be eligible based upon some other experience that they had during their military service,” said Terri Tanilean, a special assistant to the president on veterans affairs.
The expansion of care covers vets who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ground Zero after 9/11 or any combat zone in the Global War on Terror. Veterans from the Gulf War, Vietnam, and even those who trained near toxins are also eligible. They can enroll directly in VA health care without the phased-in approach of first applying for benefits. It opens the door to care much sooner.
“And so once they’re enrolled in VA health care, they would get additional screenings, potentially additional tests to evaluate whether or not any of those exposures could have led to illnesses. And then if the diagnosis is made, they could get access to potentially life-saving treatments,” Tanilean said.
Under the PACT Act, more than 100,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care and roughly 760,000 disability claims have been approved. This new move is expected to make millions more eligible.
The VA says the expansion of health care benefits begins March 5th.
Veterans exposed to toxic substances and their survivors can apply for health care and benefits at VA.gov/PACT or by calling 1-800-MYVA411.
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