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Health Care Expands March 5 to All Vets Exposed to Toxins during Military Service at Home or Abroad

(L to R) JOSHUA TORRES, WHO received a Military Veteran Certificate of Appreciation, poses for a photo with his parents and a copy his certificate during the 17th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony on  Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.   
Photo by Miriam Quiñones

The U.S. Department of Veterans Services announced on Monday, Feb. 26, that all veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military, at home or abroad, will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care beginning March 5. VA officials said this means all veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11 will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits.

 

Additionally, they said veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States will also be eligible to enroll. They said that as directed by U.S. President Joe Biden, the expansion of VA health care eliminates the phased-in approach called for by the PACT Act, meaning millions of veterans are becoming eligible for VA health care up to eight years earlier than written into law.

 

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said of the new law, “If you’re a Veteran who may have been exposed to toxins or hazards while serving our country, at home or abroad, we want you to come to us for the health care you deserve. VA is proven to be the best, most affordable health care in America for Veterans – and once you’re in, you have access for life. So don’t wait, enroll starting March 5th.”

 

VA officials said the expansion of coverage was a critical step forward because veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than non-enrolled veterans, and VA hospitals have dramatically outperformed non-VA hospitals in overall quality ratings and patient satisfaction ratings. Additionally, they said VA health care is often more affordable than non-VA health care for veterans.

 

The VA is encouraging all eligible veterans to visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more and apply for VA health care beginning March 5. Officials said that since Biden signed the PACT Act into law on Aug. 10, 2022, more than 500,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care.

 

In addition to expanding access to VA care, VA officials said the decision makes it quicker and easier for millions of veterans to enroll. They said many veterans believe they must apply to receive VA disability compensation benefits to become eligible for VA health care, but this is not correct. With this expansion and other authorities, they said millions of eligible veterans can enroll directly in VA care without any need to first apply for VA benefits.

 

The expansion covers Vietnam veterans, Gulf War veterans, Iraq War veterans, Afghanistan War veterans, veterans who deployed in support of contingency operations for the Global War on Terror (Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Resolute Support Mission), and more.

 

The expansion also covers many veterans who never deployed as a part of a conflict but were exposed to toxins or hazards while serving in the U.S. Specifically, under this expansion of care, any veteran who participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA), at home or abroad, is eligible for VA health care.

 

VA officials said this includes veterans who were exposed to one or more of the following hazards or conditions during active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training participated in a TERA: air pollutants (burn pits, sand, dust, particulates, oil well fires, sulfur fires); chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, depleted uranium with embedded shrapnel, contaminated water); occupational hazards (asbestos, industrial solvents, lead, paints including chemical agent resistant coating, firefighting foams); radiation (nuclear weapons handling, maintenance and detonation, radioactive material, calibration and measurement sources, X-rays, radiation from military occupational exposure); warfare agents (nerve agents, chemical and biological weapons); and more.

 

The news was also welcomed by VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. who said, “Beginning March 5, we’re making millions of veterans eligible for VA health care years earlier than called for by the PACT Act. With this expansion, VA can care for all veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11.”

 

He added, “We can also care for veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty here at home by working with chemicals, pesticides, lead, asbestos, certain paints, nuclear weapons, x-rays, and more. We want to bring all of these veterans to VA for the care they’ve earned and deserve.”

 

They said the VA will use all available information to determine if veterans participated in a TERA, including military records and service connection. They said the VA is executing a nationwide campaign to ensure that as many veterans as possible enroll. To date, they said the VA’s PACT Act outreach campaign has included more than 2,500 events nationwide, $13 million in paid advertising, 88,000 earned media clips, more than 400 million emails and letters to veterans, VA’s first ever text messaging campaign, the creation of a one-stop-shop PACT Act website, and more.

 

They said it is the largest outreach campaign in VA history, which has one goal in mind: ensuring all veterans and their survivors get the health care and benefits they deserve under the PACT Act.

 

For more information about how the PACT Act is helping Veterans and their survivors, visit VA’s PACT Act Dashboard. To apply for care or benefits today, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411. More information on eligibility can be found at VA.gov/PACT.

 

As reported, a veterans’ crisis helpline is available at 988.

 

 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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