Veteran Town Hall and Resource Fair
Veterans, please read as you may be eligible for benefits as the result of the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. Pass this information onto your brother and sister military veterans.
The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Homes (DMVA) is holding a hybrid Veteran Town and Resource Fair on Tuesday, April 4th, 2023 at West View VFW Post 2754 from 5-8pm. To register, or for assistance, you can call 717-644-3890. The Pennsylvania DMVA and federal VA staff will host a joint presentation to provide veterans and their advocates with information about eligibility and applying for benefits related to the PACT Act, which expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. Arrive early for the resource fair, which is being held from 5-6pm. The dial-in number for those not attending in-person is 267-332-8737; conference ID is 989503340#.
What is the PACT Act and how will it affect my VA benefits and care?
The PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history. The full name of the law is The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.
The PACT Act will bring these changes:
- Expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras
- Adds 20+ more presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic exposures
- Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation
- Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care
- Helps us improve research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures
If you are a Veteran or survivor, you can file claims now to apply for PACT Act-related benefits.
For more information go to www.va.gov and search PACT ACT.
What does it mean to have a presumptive condition for toxic exposure?
To get a VA disability rating, your disability must connect to your military service. For many health conditions, you need to prove that your service caused your condition.
But for some conditions, we automatically assume (or “presume”) that your service caused your condition. We call these “presumptive conditions.”
We consider a condition presumptive when it's established by law or regulation.
If you have a presumptive condition, you don’t need to prove that your service caused the condition. You only need to meet the service requirements for the presumption.
Gulf War era and post-9/11 Veteran eligibility
Vietnam era Veteran eligibility
What new Agent Orange presumptive conditions will VA add?
Based on the PACT Act, we’ve added 2 new Agent Orange presumptive conditions:
- High blood pressure (also called hypertension)
- Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)
You may also be eligible for disability compensation based on other Agent Orange presumptive conditions. These conditions include certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses.
For more information go to www.va.gov search PACT ACT
There have been added more than 20 burn pit and other toxic exposure presumptive conditions based on the PACT Act. This change expands benefits for Gulf War era and post-9/11 Veterans.
These cancers are now presumptive:
- Brain cancer
- Gastrointestinal cancer of any type
- Glioblastoma
- Head cancer of any type
- Kidney cancer
- Lymphoma of any type
- Melanoma
- Neck cancer of any type
- Pancreatic cancer
- Reproductive cancer of any type
- Respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type
These illnesses are now presumptive:
- Asthma that was diagnosed after service
- Chronic bronchitis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic rhinitis
- Chronic sinusitis
- Constrictive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis
- Emphysema
- Granulomatous disease
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
- Pleuritis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Sarcoidosis