Starting Oct. 1, the VA will allow Gulf War and Post-9/11 veterans who were exposed to toxins during their military service to opt into VA health care.
On Sept. 28, the U.S. the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is expanding eligibility and delaying deadlines for Gulf War and Post-9/11 veterans to enroll in VA health care, as provisioned by the Honoring Our PACT Act that was signed into law on Aug. 10.
The move is expected to open VA health care to hundreds of thousands of veterans who served during these two periods. Additionally, the VA previously expanded eligibility for Vietnam veterans following the passage of the PACT Act.
Following months of debate, the Honoring Our PACT Act exponentially expanded VA benefits and eligibility for veterans who were exposed to a wide range of toxins during their military service. Before the act’s passage, most claims were denied by the VA because a majority of veteran claimants could not prove a connection between their ailment and their service. However, the PACT Act removed this barrier, paving the way for over two million veterans to receive care.
Although the effective date for PACT Act presumptions shares the act’s signing date and the VA is actively encouraging all veterans to file a claim, the VA cannot legally process toxic-exposure claims until Jan. 1, 2023. The department and lawmakers expect significant backlogs.
VA health care’s expanded eligibility period for Gulf War and Post-9/11 veterans is set to end on Oct. 1, 2023.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
