To advance the health welfare of Veterans, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has effected critical new measures under the PACT Act to mitigate health complications associated with military service toxic-exposure issues. The VA, as the PACT Act nears its second signing anniversary, offers a new dashboard that spotlights the deep impact wrought by this historic legislation.
Among the most significant expansions of Veterans’ health care and benefits in U.S. history, the PACT Act was signed into law on August 10, 2022. This legislation grants VA the authority to provide full care and benefits to Veterans and their survivors, particularly those exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. “Thanks to President Biden, millions of Veterans are now getting the health care and benefits they’ve earned for their heroic service and selfless sacrifices,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
A core component of the PACT Act is toxic exposure screening, which the VA encourages all Veterans in VA health care to participate in. This simple 5-10 minute screening helps identify any potential exposures to toxins that occurred during military service. Veterans who report exposure concerns are linked to the appropriate support and resources, including a review by their primary care team.
They also redesigned the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR 2.0) to serve Veterans and service members better. This registry integrates related data in support of research on health challenges from airborne hazards and burn pits. The updated registry now boasts expanded participation criteria, streamlined opt-out processes, and automatic enrollment of those considered by DoD records as eligible Veterans and service members.
Participation in AHOBPR 2.0 is entirely voluntary and has no impact on an individual’s care and benefits. However, data recorded in this registry will play a much-needed role in the future advancement of treatments, predictive medicine, and proactive care delivered to already-existing and future generations of Veterans. “Veteran and service members’ participation in the Registry is critical,” said the VA, noting the long-term benefit associated with the endeavor.
The VA has issued over $6.8 billion in earned benefits to more than 1 million Veterans and their survivors since the passage of the PACT Act. Further, Veterans who enrolled in VA health care since the passage have reached nearly 740,000, which is a 33 percent increase over the previous two-year period. The VA has also given more than 5.6 million toxic exposure screenings, allowing for early detection and treatment for possibly life-threatening conditions.
The outreach effort of the VA is also without precedent—millions of letters and e-mails were issued, joined with a national advertising campaign, and to reach eligible Veterans, the first-ever text-messaging campaign was launched. Every one of these efforts resulted in record numbers of Veterans applying for their earned benefits.
With the VA continuing service improvements, veterans show greater trust than ever in the VA: 80.4 percent in the “VSignals” survey, and 91.8 percent in outpatient health care. VA is on pace to provide more than 127 million healthcare appointments this year, a 6 percent increase above last year’s record number of appointments.
The PACT Act didn’t only expand health care and benefits to Veterans but streamlined the process to ensure those who served get the care they deserve. Veterans and their survivors should go to VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to find out more about the PACT Act and apply for the benefits.
In short, the PACT Act has truly changed the game for the delivery of health care and benefits to Veterans and ensures that those who have served get the recognition and support of service well-earned. As Secretary McDonough put it, “We want all of these heroes — and their survivors — to come to VA for the health care and benefits THEY EARNED in the service of this great nation.”