Legislators Celebrate 1st Anniversary Of PACT Act, Benefit Expansions For Veterans

It's been just over a year since President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act into law, triggering the expansion of benefits and services for hundreds of thousands of veterans who were exposed to chemical toxins through their service to the nation.

"It’s really a historic piece of legislation that actually was a long time coming," said National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby in an interview last Thursday.

Kirby said, for too many years, ailing veterans of the Gulf War and other post-9-11 conflicts who filed disability claims faced an uphill battle in trying to prove that their malady was caused by exposure to the burn pits that were commonly used to dispose of all manner of refuse.

"The burden of proof was all on the veteran," said Kirby, "and now that burden of proof is being lifted from their shoulders. They just have to prove that they served in a combat zone where we know there was toxic agent exposure, and then judge that against the illness that they may or may not have."

Per the PACT Act, there is now a presumption of causation if the veteran served in particular combat zones and has any number of ailments, including asthma, emphysema, and 11 different cancers.

"This is what makes the PACT Act, so exciting," Kirby said, "it presumes that if you served in a combat zone in one of those qualified areas and you have an illness that is on the list...it’s going to be presumed that you qualify."

To try and avoid further overwhelming the veterans health system, the VA hired thousands of new workers last fall to handle what Kirby said has been a record increase in disability claims.

"That’s a good thing -- that means the veterans are getting the word and they are doing the right thing for themselves and their families by going and getting screened," he said.

Nationwide, more than 840,000 PACT Act claims had been filed as of August 5, according to the White House. Just over 15,000 of those have come from Oklahoma veterans. Approximately 360,000 claims have been approved in total, 6,200 in Oklahoma.

Kirby said as much interest as there has been, there are definitely many veterans still unaware help may be waiting for them.

"We have to assume there are still hundreds of thousands of veterans out there who may qualify and who just don’t know," Kirby stated, "and that’s one of the reasons I’m talking to you."

Kirby said, if you're a veteran and think you might qualify, or even if you're not sure, click here to get more information.