This is a followup to our third podcast episode where we discussed raising claims for burn pit exposure. Grant Gautsche, director of the Riverside Office of Veterans Affairs returns to discuss exciting new developments. Since that episode was broadcast, the Senate has passed the 2022 PACT Act, the largest expansion of benefits for our veterans in US history.
On the thumbnail is a hero for all our veterans, Riverside Congressman Mark Takano, author of the PACT Act, giving protection to countless more veterans suffering from illnesses related to exposure to toxic chemicals/burn pits while on active duty. Rep. Takano is Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.Committee.
Here is what the act provides:
To ensure veterans can receive high-quality health care screenings and services related to potential toxic exposures, the PACT Act expands access to VA health care services for veterans exposed during their military service. For post-9/11 combat veterans, the bill extends the period of time they have to enroll in VA health care from five to ten years post-discharge. For those combat veterans who do not fall within that window, the bill also creates a one-year open enrollment period. These expansions mean that more veterans can enroll in VA health care without having to demonstrate a service connected disability.
The PACT Act codifies VA’s new process for evaluating and determining presumption of exposure and service connection for various chronic conditions when the evidence of a military environmental exposure and the associated health risks are strong in the aggregate but hard to prove on an individual basis. The new process is evidence-based, transparent, and allows VA to make faster policy decisions on crucial exposure issues.
The legislation removes the need for certain veterans and their survivors to prove service connection if they are diagnosed with one of 23 specific conditions. This greatly reduces the amount of paperwork and need for exams that veterans diagnosed with one of these conditions must complete before being granted access to health care and disability compensation, thereby speeding up their receipt of the benefits they have earned. This list includes 11 respiratory related conditions, along with several forms of respiratory related conditions and several forms of cancer, including reproductive cancers, melanoma, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, and brain cancers such as glioblastoma. Survivors of veterans who died due to one of these conditions may now also be eligible for benefits. Well done, Congressman.
Contact Grant's Office for help at https://veteranservices.co.riverside.ca.us and at (951) 955-3060