PACT Act

VA reports major uptick in veterans’ care after passage of toxic exposure law

BY: - November 6, 2023

Veterans experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts should dial 988 or chat at https://988lifeline.org/. WASHINGTON — Veterans’ care in the United States set all-time records in fiscal year 2023, “shattering” the agency’s performance in previous years, in large part because of an expansion of benefits under the Biden administration, U.S. Secretary of Veterans […]

PACT Act in one year aided 340,000 ailing veterans and survivors, Biden says

BY: - August 10, 2023

WASHINGTON — One of the “most significant laws ever signed to help veterans” has already assisted over 340,000 former service members and their survivors seeking care for illnesses and cancers now presumed to be connected to open burn pits and other toxins, President Joe Biden said in Utah on Thursday as he marked one year […]

Comedian and activist Jon Stewart hugs Rosie Torres, wife of veteran Le Roy Torres, who suffers from illnesses related to his exposure to burn pits in Iraq, after the Senate passed the PACT Act at the U.S. Capitol Aug. 2, 2022.

Veterans exposed to burn pits, toxins urged to apply for retroactive benefits

BY: - August 3, 2023

Correction: This story has been updated to fix the deadline faced by veterans or their survivors. WASHINGTON — A deadline for a year’s worth of backdated benefits is fast approaching for U.S. veterans suffering illnesses after exposure to open burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxins. Nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden signed the […]

Sri Benson (center) holds a photograph of his wife Katie, an Army medic who he said died due to toxic exposure, during the signing ceremony for the PACT Act in the East room of the White House on Aug. 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Thousands of veterans deluge VA with claims for toxic exposure benefits, health care

BY: - November 24, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is processing claims at the fastest rate in its history, hoping to avoid a significant backlog as hundreds of thousands of veterans apply for health care and benefits under the landmark toxic exposure law Congress passed earlier this year.  The day after President Joe Biden signed the […]