‘Tens of thousands’ more veterans will be eligible for VA health care starting Oct. 1

Thousands more veterans will be eligible for Veterans Affairs health care starting Saturday According to the law issued on August 10 It would have extended benefits to former service members who became ill from environmental exposure.

According to VA officials, starting Oct. 1, “tens of thousands” of veterans will be able to enroll in VA health care. The largest group are veterans who met certain criteria after 9/11 and were not previously enrolled. According to the law, they will have a window of one year to register.

VA Secretary Dennis McDonough told reporters at a meeting of the Defense Secretaries’ Group in Washington, D.C., on Monday that the VA is dealing with more claims and increased demand for veterans’ health care.

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“Saturday, open registration period at [the Veterans Health Administration] For health benefits. That’s an important time for us,” McDonough said.

To be eligible, veterans must have served in a combat theater after the 1991 Persian Gulf War, served on an enemy force after November 11, 1998, or were discharged or discharged after September 11, 2001. Until October 1, 2013

Some additional Vietnam veterans and Gulf War vets are eligible to enroll under certain conditions.

Vietnam-era veterans are eligible for care if they served at any time in:

• Vietnam from January 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975
• Thailand in the US or Royal Thailand from 9 January 1962 to 30 June 1976
• Laos 1 December 1965 to 30 September 1969
• Guam or American Samoa — or their territories — from January 9, 1962 to July 31, 1980
• Johnston Atoll, or vessel called there, from January 1, 1972 to September 30, 1977.

Veterans who served after the Persian Gulf War and are awarded a Competition Medal, Campaign Distinguished Medal, or other combat theater award, or veterans who fought against enemy forces after November 11, 1998, will also be eligible. Eligible from October 1st.

“I strongly encourage these veterans to apply for the health care they deserve and deserve,” McDonough said in a press release Wednesday. “This expansion will bring new generations of veterans into VA health care, and increase the health care benefits of many, leading to one important outcome: better health outcomes for veterans.”

Sgt. 1st Class Heather Robinson honoring our promise to address the Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT, Act in 2020, named for an Ohio National Guard soldier who died of lung cancer at age 39. Comprehensive health care services and disability compensation for approximately 1 million veterans They are thought to be exposed to chemicals, pollution and other exposures during their military service.

In addition to the expansion of health care. The law lists 23 diseases related to exposure to burn pits It has been used in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere as part of the global war on terror, and added two conditions — hypertension and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance — to Vietnam veterans.

The designation allows veterans with the condition to receive disability benefits more quickly because they are not required to prove that their illness was service-connected, a process that can be outsourced and involves extensive documentation and medical evaluations.

of Department of Veterans Affairs It is encouraging ex-service members to set up a website and apply to report their benefits under the PACT Act. For benefits and care, go to the site or call the VA at 1-800-MYVA411 or 1-800-698-2411.

Under the law, veterans may also be screened for exposure — meeting with a health care provider to determine if they are exposed or have any health problems related to exposure.

VA began a pilot program for these brief screenings after 37.4% of 13,380 veterans screened at 12 medical centers were at risk of exposure.

“These results will help VA make toxic exposure screenings available to all veterans in early November … and ensure VA provides all toxic exposure veterans with the care and benefits they need,” VA officials said in a statement.

According to the VA, the department has set an all-time record for disability claims filed online, with over 70,000 PACT Act claims filed to date.

The bill is expected to cost $277 billion through 2031.

— Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: After 3 attempts, the Veterans Toxic Exposure Act – the PACT Act – finally passed the US Senate.

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