If you have been exposed to a toxic substance during your military service, you may be eligible for VA benefits, even if you have been turned down in the past. You must apply by August 9, 2023, to possibly have your benefits backdated to August 10, 2022, if approved.

Join VA and the Wounded Warrior Project’s streaming and gaming team for a live broadcast on Twitch, July 14 at 4:00 p.m. EDT, to learn about the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.

The PACT Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. The law adds to the list of health conditions that we assume (or “presume”) are caused by exposure to these substances, helping VA provide generations of Veterans—and their survivors—with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.

Click this link to go to the WWP Twitch page on July 14 at 4:00 p.m. EDT and to join the event.

To learn more about the PACT Act, go to VA.gov/PACT. To learn more about VA benefits that help Veterans earn degrees, start careers, buy homes, stay healthy, and more, visit Choose.VA.gov.

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9 Comments

  1. R.Jones July 17, 2023 at 12:07

    My VA claims have been approved and posted on VA.gov however the VA hospital has no record of my claim or care to treat some. One is pulmonary fibrosis The pulmonary doctor at the VA hospital says they have no record of illness. They did give me inhalers and nebulizer but could not diagnose me.
    Why they don’t share information of each veteran

  2. M L Bentley July 14, 2023 at 12:41

    Diagnosed with hypertension long ago by the V A. Take 2 meds to keep it down.
    Exposed to agent orange in Vietnam. V A confirms this but denies compensation.

  3. CP RIvera July 13, 2023 at 19:07

    What about those of us who live thousands of miles from the US. Without a handy or even financial means of visiting the US to put in application under the PACT Act.

  4. Bruce Allen Attenberger July 13, 2023 at 10:17

    why do vets who are already receiving compensation for herbicide exposure and is receiving medication for high blood pressure from the VA need to file a claim for high blood pressure when it’s in the files at the va

  5. Mike Chepa July 13, 2023 at 08:50

    I have bladder cancer, a Vietnam veteran with known Agent Orange poisoning. The VA did the surgery to remove the tumors from the bladder, the VA lab tested it and confirmed it was cancer. The same cancer many other ‘Nam veterans are getting. I’m taking treatments at the VA for the cancer. My question is WHY is the VA sending me to an outside nurse to verify my cancer ?
    The VA is spending millions to a corporation to find people to do these outside exams and paying them also to examine you. These millions that they are spending could go to helping other veterans.
    I also went to an outside exam for hypertension. My VA doctor wrote me a letter stating I had hypertension, but after the exam they denied my claim saying; yes you have hypertension but it’s controlled by medication. Although the medication is still doing damage to your liver and kidneys.

  6. James Gregg July 13, 2023 at 00:27

    So I was a TurboProp Engine Mechanic. We were around burning jet fuel everyday at work. But it seems that only those who got exposed to jet fuel when they burned stuff in barrels in the Gulf are able to apply. I served 20 years and for most of it I was around burning jet fuel or splashed on the face and arms leak checking engines. Are you going to support us too?

  7. Russell Schaefer July 10, 2023 at 10:34

    Was on Guam in the 60 and we were escorting bombs to air port they stored the bombs in magazines have no idea what they were doing with h

  8. alvin brockschmidt July 9, 2023 at 18:16

    i take meds, for my high BP all the time / iam about ready to stop taking them so my # will go up / then maybe the va will give me something for my disabillity/i was exposed to toxic substances in veit nam/1966,67. wounded combat veteran.

  9. William Braniff July 6, 2023 at 18:34

    Interesting. I have been on three different high blood pressure meds for years. My BP readings at the VA have been in the high 120’s to a high of I think 187. Three pills are taken two in the morning and I think two at night. I went for an evaluation for compensation to the ridiculous none VA testing. After all was said and done I was awarded 0
    % disability for hypertension. I talked to the DAV rep and he told me not to dispute it as they may take away something else I have gotten for service in Vietnam as a combat veteran. Why did he threaten me and advise me to not appeal? My PC said it was ridiculous that I wasn’t awarded a disability for the hypertension. I sure wish someone could enlighten me on this. thanks

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