VETERANS WITH CANCER TO GET PACT ACT BENEFITS FIRST
On November 7, 2022, National Cancer Awareness Day, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veterans with cancer will have priority when the benefits of the PACT Act begin being processed. The VA wants to ensure that these people are receiving the care they need as quickly as possible. Suggested read:VA Disability Claim Status in Limbo? Thank the PACT Act & 113,000 Applications
Honoring our PACT Act 2022 for Veterans With Cancer
The claims for PACT Act benefits will start to be processed on January 1, 2023. As of August 10, 2022, Veterans have already filed roughly 125,000 claims, and 14,000 are related to benefits for cancer. The VA is now hiring at 56 regional offices and 39 processing and call centers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as they expect the number of claims to dramatically increase. Denis McDonough, Secretary of the VA, said, “We are working hard to get benefits to all Veterans who qualify under the PACT Act as soon as possible, and Veterans living with cancer are at particular risk… Expediting claims for these Vets will ensure that they get the care and benefits they need and so rightly deserve.”
PACT Act 2022 Conditions and Updates
The PACT Act, also known as the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, expanded the benefits and services available to Veterans and their families exposed to toxic substances. This was signed by President Biden, as he strived to ensure the safety of troops with increased health risks and injuries and to increase efforts in caring for those with cancer.
- This expansion of health care for Veterans includes:
- Improving research and treatment for exposure to toxins.
- Increasing benefit-eligible exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation.
- Allowing screenings for toxic exposure for Veterans in VA health care.
- VA health care being eligible for Veterans exposed to toxins and Veterans who served during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and post-9/11 wars.
Presumptions for 23 new conditions were added in the act, including multiple types of cancers, such as melanoma, kidney cancer, neck cancer, brain cancer, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, and any kind of gastrointestinal, lymphomatic, respiratory, reproductive, and head cancer. The conditions are presumed to be connected to burn pits and environmental hazards from the Vietnam War, Gulf War, and post-9/11 wars. The PACT Act will help Veterans with cancer access health care and disability benefits easier. Aside from helping Veterans with cancer, the VA will also help Veterans experiencing homelessness and terminal illnesses. In order to determine the exposure amount, Veterans will undergo an evaluation process, but they will not need to go through much paperwork or exams. The Biden Administration has made these processes to prioritize Veterans with cancer as part of Cancer Moonshot, an effort to reduce cancer rates and better assist people currently living with cancer.
Veterans With Cancer Should Act Now
“Veterans and cancer” is an unfortunately common combination. But benefits are coming soon. Veterans with cancer may now file claims to receive benefits from the PACT Act. For more information, visit va.gov/PACT or call 1 (800) 698-2411. Read more:What To Expect From the Military Base Toxic Exposure Veterans Disability Benefits Screening
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