Additionally, they said veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States will also be eligible to enroll. They said that as directed by U.S. President Joe Biden, the expansion of VA health care eliminates the phased-in approach called for by the PACT Act, meaning millions of veterans are becoming eligible for VA health care up to eight years earlier than written into law.

VA officials said the expansion of coverage was a critical step forward because veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than non-enrolled veterans, and VA hospitals have dramatically outperformed non-VA hospitals in overall quality ratings and patient satisfaction ratings. Additionally, they said VA health care is often more affordable than non-VA health care for veterans.

The VA is encouraging all eligible veterans to visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more and apply for VA health care beginning March 5. Officials said that since Biden signed the PACT Act into law on Aug. 10, 2022, more than 500,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care.

In addition to expanding access to VA care, VA officials said the decision makes it quicker and easier for millions of veterans to enroll. They said many veterans believe they must apply to receive VA disability compensation benefits to become eligible for VA health care, but this is not correct. With this expansion and other authorities, they said millions of eligible veterans can enroll directly in VA care without any need to first apply for VA benefits.

The expansion covers Vietnam veterans, Gulf War veterans, Iraq War veterans, Afghanistan War veterans, veterans who deployed in support of contingency operations for the Global War on Terror (Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Resolute Support Mission), and more.

The expansion also covers many veterans who never deployed as a part of a conflict but were exposed to toxins or hazards while serving in the U.S. Specifically, under this expansion of care, any veteran who participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA), at home or abroad, is eligible for VA health care.

VA officials said this includes veterans who were exposed to one or more of the following hazards or conditions during active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training participated in a TERA: air pollutants (burn pits, sand, dust, particulates, oil well fires, sulfur fires); chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, depleted uranium with embedded shrapnel, contaminated water); occupational hazards (asbestos, industrial solvents, lead, paints including chemical agent resistant coating, firefighting foams); radiation (nuclear weapons handling, maintenance and detonation, radioactive material, calibration and measurement sources, X-rays, radiation from military occupational exposure); warfare agents (nerve agents, chemical and biological weapons); and more.

They said the VA will use all available information to determine if veterans participated in a TERA, including military records and service connection. They said the VA is executing a nationwide campaign to ensure that as many veterans as possible enroll. To date, they said the VA’s PACT Act outreach campaign has included more than 2,500 events nationwide, $13 million in paid advertising, 88,000 earned media clips, more than 400 million emails and letters to veterans, VA’s first ever text messaging campaign, the creation of a one-stop-shop PACT Act website, and more.

They said it is the largest outreach campaign in VA history, which has one goal in mind: ensuring all veterans and their survivors get the health care and benefits they deserve under the PACT Act.

For more information about how the PACT Act is helping Veterans and their survivors, visit VA’s PACT Act Dashboard. To apply for care or benefits today, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411. More information on eligibility can be found at VA.gov/PACT.

As reported, a veterans’ crisis helpline is available at 988.