New military health benefits are available. Here’s how MS Coast vets can get their share.
New health care and disability benefits are now available to U.S. veterans, thanks to federal legislation, and the Biloxi VA wants to make sure Coast residents get their share.
On Wednesday, the Biloxi VA hosted an event to spread the word about the PACT Act, passed in 2022.
The act was designed to extend health care coverage and services to veterans, especially those who may have encountered toxic exposures, such as burn pits, during their overseas service. This includes veterans who served in Vietnam, The Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and several other locations overseas.
The PACT Act, short for Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, was signed into law by President Biden. Robinson, an Ohio veteran who deployed overseas to Kosovo and Iraq, passed away in 2020 from cancer related to burn pit exposure.
The Coast event was part of a nationwide VA campaign known as VetFest. The event’s primary goal was to encourage veterans to explore health care benefits and submit claims tied to the PACT Act.
Biloxi VA staff helped enroll veterans in VA health care services, as well as file disability claims. Furthermore, the event included screenings for veterans potentially affected by exposure to toxic chemicals during their military service.
Matt Bowman, public affairs officer at the Jackson regional office, highlighted the comprehensive impact of the PACT Act. The act not only extends health care coverage for more veterans but also significantly improves the chances of receiving disability benefits, even for those who were previously denied.
“Its for all veterans who served overseas, the PACT Act liberalized the law, to make it easier for us to grant benefits,” said Bowman.
He further added that many veterans previously struggled to prove toxic exposure, such as those exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Those veterans who were previously denied health care or disability may now be eligible to receive assistance.
“Its easier for us to grant those claims now, and this is any overseas service, anywhere,” said Bowman.
Between 2007 and 2020, about 78 percent of VA claims related to burn pits were denied by the VA. According to Bowman, the VA now has a 75 percent approval rate for claims related to toxic chemicals.
So far, 6,527 Mississippi veterans have applied for and received benefits related to the PACT Act since it was passed last year. However, there are many more eligible veterans yet to apply. Those who submit and get approval before Aug. 9 will have their claims backdated to August 2022.
The event featured several other booths offering veterans and their families information and assistance.
The VA urges veterans who have yet to apply for health care benefits related to the PACT Act to reach out or log into the VA website and do so prior to Aug. 9.