In August of 2022, the PACT Act became law. It gave many veterans the ability to apply for disability benefits for exposure to certain toxic materials. For Bowling Green and Louisville, Kentucky, veterans, and veterans nationwide (and their surviving spouses and children of veterans who passed away from covered conditions under the act), you now may be eligible for additional benefits from the VA.
PACT Act basics
The Act is named after Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson and also stands for Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act. For veterans of certain war periods, like the Gulf War or Vietnam, new conditions are now considered presumptive, meaning that the VA can now assume a given condition is connected to you or your family member’s service time. If the VA connects a condition, like Parkinson’s disease, hypertension or prostate cancer, to agent orange exposure during the Vietnam War era, while serving in a country, like Vietnam or Laos during the late 1960s, you may be eligible for disability compensation or health care.
Previously denied claims
Even if you have been previously denied disability compensation, the PACT Act offers a new list of presumptive conditions. If you meet eligibility requirements, you can submit a supplemental claim to your initial denied claim. If you have a newly developed condition, you may also submit a new claim.
Other VA benefits to veterans and survivors
Remember, in addition to disability benefits, there are other VA benefits, like pensions, if eligible, based on income and wartime service, among other factors. If you need assistance with any step of the process, it is completely understandable. If you or your family have served our country, thank you for your service.
If you need assistance with questions regarding your specific circumstance, you can always contact a local attorney, the VA directly or a Veteran’s Service Organization. Attorneys and Veteran Service Organizations may also act as Power of Attorney for you, so that you can get on with your life.
