My name is Luis Martinez, I am the Commander of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 237 here in San Angelo, as well as the 3rd Junior Vice Commander for the DAV Department of Texas. I am also the Veteran Resource and Referral Specialist for the Texas Veteran Leadership Program, and I cover the Concho Valley and the Permian Basin. We are honored at the opportunity to bring you news concerning Veterans and events that will be happening in our community!
We will start with the PACT Act that was just passed. The PACT Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. This law helps the VA provide generations of Veterans and their survivors with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.
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 more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits 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 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 and Post 9/11 Veterans
More than 20 burn pit and other toxic exposure presumptive conditions were added 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
- Lymphatic cancer of any type
- Lymphoma of any type
- Melanoma
- Neck cancer
- 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
Vietnam Era Veterans
Based on the PACT Act, 2 new Agent Orange presumptive conditions were added:
- High blood pressure (also called hypertension)
- Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)
5 new locations were added to the list of presumptive locations:
- Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976
- Laos from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969
- Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969
- Guam or American Samoa or in the territorial waters off of Guam or American Samoa from January 9, 1962, through July 30, 1980
- Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called at Johnston Atoll from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977
If you served on active duty in any of these locations, the VA will automatically assume (or “presume”) that you had exposure to Agent Orange.
New Radiation Presumptive Locations Added:
- Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll, from January 1, 1977, through December 31, 1980
- Cleanup of the Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons off the coast of Palomares, Spain, from January 17, 1966, through March 31, 1967
- Response to the fire onboard an Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons near Thule Air Force Base in Greenland from January 21, 1968, to September 25, 1968
If you have been denied or need to file for new conditions, please call the DAV located in the San Angelo VA clinic at 325-513-3387, or the Veteran County Service Officer located in the Cactus…
Read More: PACT Act expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans