The Honoring Our PACT Act

The Honoring Our PACT Act

My mother served in the U.S. Army for 20 years. Her service taught me so much about honor, sacrifice, and dedication to country. After all that our service members and veterans have done for us, we must have their backs. They deserve nothing less than the quality health care, services, and access to jobs that they’ve earned.

In 2022, after years of working with veterans across the country and negotiating with congressional leaders, I voted to pass the bipartisan Honoring Our PACT Act into law. This legislative achievement is the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits in history and ensures over 3.5 million veterans receive the care they deserve. It also delivers a robust investment in outpatient services for veterans in the Greater Kansas City area.

The Honoring Our PACT Act:

Expands and extends eligibility for Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) health care for millions of veterans exposed to toxins and airborne hazards in the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras,

Adds more than 20 presumptive conditions to the VA’s list of service-connected conditions for those exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins,

Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation,

Requires the VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA health care, and

Helps the VA improve research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures.

The Honoring Our PACT Act ensures that millions of veterans who bravely fought for our country, and their families, no longer have to serve as their own doctors, counselors, lawyers, advocates, and therapists. It guarantees that these veterans’ health conditions and disabilities are automatically considered service-connected by the VA, allowing them access to critical care and benefits. Specific conditions now covered by the VA include:

New presumptive conditions for Gulf War and post-9/11 era veterans include:
- Brain cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, and more
New presumptive conditions for Vietnam-era veterans exposed to Agent Orange include:
- High blood pressure and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)

For a complete list of presumptive conditions and locations, please visit the VA’s website here.

Honoring Our PACT Act Data

Since August 2022, the VA has:

Reviewed over 329,000 PACT Act-related claims,
Approved over 279,000 PACT Act-related claims (79.1 percent approval rate),
Completed claims in an average of 153 days, and
Enrolled over 94,000 veterans in VA healthcare.

In Kansas’ Third Congressional District, the VA has received 853 PACT Act-related claims since this bill was passed into law.

To see the VA’s PACT Act performance dashboard, please click here.

How to take advantage of the Honoring Our PACT Act

1. Toxic Exposure Screenings

Thanks to this new law, the VA is required to conduct a toxic exposure screening at least once every five years for every veteran enrolled at the Department. Screenings take just five to ten minutes and are an important step in receiving the care you need.

You can receive a screening at your local VA health facility by asking about it at your next health care appointment or scheduling a screening appointment sooner. Below is the contact information for our local VA health facilities.

2. Receiving Benefits

If you’re ready to file a benefits claim under the Honoring Our PACT Act, you can do so online, by mail, in person at a VA facility, or with an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative.

If you filed a benefits claim before the passage of the Honoring Our PACT Act and were denied, you can file a Supplemental Claim if your condition is now considered presumptive.

There is NO deadline to apply for PACT Act benefits, however, if you apply before August 9, 2023, you may receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022.

For more information on how to file a new claim, please click here. | For more information on how to file a Supplemental Claim, please click here.

3. Surviving Family Members

If you’re a surviving family member of a veteran who would now be eligible for benefits under the Honoring Our PACT Act, you may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments, a one-time accrued benefits payment, or a survivors’ pension.

For more information on these survivors’ benefits, please click here.

The Honoring Our PACT Act