PACT Act

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made it easier and faster for Veterans to access VA health care nationwide through VA's Access Sprints — an initiative to expand access to care by offering night and weekend clinics, increasing the number of Veterans scheduled into daily clinic schedules, and more.

Thank you for joining us for this month's press conference. We know that it’s an early start. So, we thank you for joining us. To our teammates online as well, thank you. I know we have some new faces included, so I'm very interested in meeting some of you, either in person or virtually.

All Veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military – at home or abroad – will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care beginning March 5, 2024. 

the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has screened 5 million Veterans for toxic exposures – a critical step to detecting, understanding, and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions.

The Department of Veterans Affairs launched a groundbreaking national advertising campaign to encourage Veterans to sign up for the VA health care and benefits they’ve earned.

On September 18 2023 VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal held a media roundtable with members of the press to discuss the steps that VA has taken to address COVID-19, PACT Act implementation efforts suicide prevention and staffing,

Veterans and their survivors have filed more than one million claims for toxic exposure-related benefits under the PACT Act since President Biden signed it into law Aug. 10, 2022. VA has processed more than 551,000 of these claims, granting 77.9% of them and awarding more than $2.2 billion in earned benefits to Veterans and survivors. Supporting Veterans and their families is a core pillar in President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation, and today’s announcement helps deliver on his promise to comprehensively address military related toxic exposure.

The Department of Veterans Affairs announces a historic partnership with the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute to share cancer registry information.

Until 11:59 p.m. local time Sept. 30, 2023, Veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care, and left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001 and Oct. 1, 2013 are eligible to enroll directly in VA health care.

Dr. Shereef Elnahal (Under Secretary for Health):  Good afternoon, everyone. Good to connect as always. Want to call everyone's attention to a really important deadline that's coming up vis a vis the PACT Act.

In July, VA will kick off PACT Act Summer VetFest to inform Veterans, their families, and survivors about the PACT Act and encourage them to apply for the health care and benefits they have earned. The PACT Act, which President Biden signed into law on Aug. 10, 2022, is the biggest expansion of Veteran health care and benefits in generations.

Dr. Clark [Kaily], thanks for that kind introduction and, more importantly, for dedicating yourself to serving Veterans, for doing so much to help prevent Veteran suicide—our #1 clinical priority. Please tell your father how grateful we all are for his courageous service in Vietnam. I know he’s rightly proud of the work you’re doing at VA—for him and his fellow Vets.