Veterans – What Is the Pact Act?
The Clermont County Veterans Service Commission wants all veterans to know what the Pact Act is and what it can do for those who served during Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and WWII. The Pact Act is a new law (2022) that expands access to health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for millions of veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances including Agent Orange and radiation.
The law also adds over 20 new presumptive health conditions that are presumed to have been caused by exposure to these substances. It also adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation, and it requires the VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care.
The PACT Act provides generations of Veterans—and their survivors—with the care and
benefits they’ve earned and deserve. If you served in WWII or post WWII and were exposed to Mustard Gas, Lewisite, or radiation you may be eligible for compensation. The new law expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Vietnam era veterans who may have served on the Korean DMZ or on certain jobs where they handled Agent Orange. The Pact Act also adds two new presumptive conditions for Vietnam veterans, high blood pressure, or Hypertension and Monoclonal Gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).
If you served in the Republic of Vietnam, in Thailand, or in or near the DMZ during the Vietnam Era—and your child has spina bifida or certain other birth defects—your child may be eligible for disability benefits.
If you served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or certain other areas, you may have had contact with toxic chemicals in the air, water, or soil through exposure to burn pits or other specific environmental hazards that may make you eligible for VA benefits.
The Pact Act also covers contaminated drinking water at camp Lejeune. If you served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between August 1953 and December 1987, you may be at risk of certain illnesses believed to be caused by contaminants found in the drinking water during that time.
Do you qualify? To receive a VA Disability rating Veterans must be honorably discharged and need to prove that their disability came from their military service. However, for certain conditions the VA automatically presumes that the condition was caused by a veteran’s time in service. Those are called “presumptive conditions.”
If you are a veteran who falls within one of the above categories and want to file a claim, get more information, or sign up for VA Health Care, call the Clermont County Veterans Service Office at 513-732-7363. www.clermontcountyveterans.com
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Clermont County VSO “Veterans Town Hall” March 25, 2023
Clermont County Veterans Service Commission
Media Contact Only for Questions: Ken Williamson, 513-260-6501 (Do not publish phone number)
Interview Questions: Frank Morrow, Exec. Director, Clermont County Veterans Service Office 513-732-7363 or fmorrow@clermontcountyveterans.com
Veterans Town Hall
The Clermont County Veterans Service Commission is sponsoring a Town Hall for veterans on Saturday, March 25th at the Pattison Park Lodge 2228 US 50 in Batavia. Breakfast will be served at 10:00 AM. The program, starting at 11:00, features a panel of VA specialists who will be available to address questions and concerns about veterans benefits and claims and will be prepared to talk about the Pact Act. The panel includes representatives from VBA Legal Admin, VA Volunteer Services, VA Caregiver Support, VA Community Outreach, VA Justice Outreach, Veteran Healthcare Eligibility, and VA Public Affairs. Clermont County Veterans Service Officers will also be present to answer questions.
Vendors for the event include Habitat for Humanity Home Repair, Humana, Hamilton County Recorder’s Office to provide Veterans I.D. cards, and many others.
No registration is required. The Town Hall is a veterans only event. For questions contact the Clermont County Veterans Service Office at 513- 732-7639 or www.clermontcountyveterans.com