The Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, known as the PACT Act, expands access to VA disability and health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances during military service.
While the PACT Act can be a critical shortcut to well-earned VA benefits, it won’t always guarantee a successful claim. Working with an experienced veterans disability lawyer at Rob Levine Law can help you increase your chances of securing the benefits you deserve. Call us today at (888) 791-9135 to learn more.
What Benefits Can the PACT Act Help Me Receive?
The PACT Act has expanded access to VA benefits for veterans by significantly reducing barriers to proving a service-connected condition related to toxic exposure. Benefits available to veterans through the PACT Act’s expansion include the following:
- Health care benefits: You can receive free VA health care for conditions related to toxic exposure, such as certain cancers, respiratory illnesses, and neurological disorders.
- Disability compensation: The PACT Act expanded the range of conditions and locations that raise an automatic presumption of a service connection, helping those exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic agents qualify for disability compensation. It can also make it easier to connect secondary conditions to your service, potentially raising your overall disability rating and leading to increased payments.
Am I Eligible for Benefits Under the PACT Act?
To be eligible for VA benefits under the PACT Act, you must have a service-connected medical condition, a discharge status other than dishonorable, and have served in certain locations during specific eras. The PACT Act expands eligibility for the following veterans:
- Vietnam veterans: The PACT Act added new locations that qualify for presumptive Agent Orange exposure during certain periods, including Laos, Guam, American Samoa, parts of Cambodia, and military bases in Thailand.
- Gulf War-era veterans: The VA presumes you’ve been exposed to burn pits and other toxins if you served in a variety of countries, territories, and airspaces on or after August 2, 1990, including Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, and the Persian Gulf.
- Iraq veterans: If you served in Iraq at any point after August 1990, including the post-9/11 period, you qualify for presumptive exposure to burn pits.
- Afghanistan veterans: If you served in Afghanistan, Egypt, Djibouti, Syria, or certain other countries after 9/11, the VA will presume that you’ve been exposed to burn pits, oil well fires, depleted uranium, or other toxins.
You may qualify for VA health care regardless of your disability status if you served in any of the aforementioned wars, the Global War on Terror, or were otherwise exposed to toxins during your service.
Conditions Covered Under the PACT Act
The VA presumes certain conditions are service-connected, allowing you to receive disability compensation without proving a link between your record and your illness. The PACT Act added a wide range of presumptive conditions related to toxic exposure to further ease access to benefits, including:
- Respiratory conditions like bronchitis, asthma, and COPD
- Cancers of the bladder, lungs, and brain, as well as genitourinary cancers and acute or chronic leukemias
- Certain neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease
- Heart conditions and cardiovascular diseases
- Medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses, commonly known as “Gulf War Syndrome”
- Various conditions related to Agent Orange exposure, including diabetes, hypertension, prostate cancer, and MGUS
A diagnosis of a presumptive condition also makes it easier to establish a service connection for secondary conditions, which are those disabilities caused or exacerbated by an underlying primary illness. A trusted veterans’ disability lawyer can help you maximize your disability rating and receive the compensation you deserve.
How Can the PACT Act Help With My VA Benefits Claim?
The PACT Act can make it much easier to secure benefits based on toxic exposure in the following ways:
- The PACT Act presumes toxic exposure for those who served in Vietnam and the Middle East conflicts, eliminating much of the evidentiary requirement for proving a service-connected disability.
- It also adds several conditions that the VA automatically presumes are connected to military service.
- The added ease of proving a service-connected disability can also help you link secondary conditions, potentially leading to a higher VA disability rating.
How Can A Lawyer Help Me With My PACT Act Benefits Claim?
From helping you file a strong claim to representing you in the appeals process, a trusted veterans disability lawyer can give you the best chances of winning approval for the benefits you deserve.
At Rob Levine Law, our team has over 75 years of combined experience handling veterans’ disability claims. We’ve helped more than 50,000 clients recover over $2 billion in total compensation, and we’re ready to help you maximize your potential recovery.
We’re available 24/7 to take your call, and with our Fee Free Guarantee®, you won’t pay us anything unless you win your case. Contact us online or call (888) 791-9135 today to schedule a free consultation.
