By Michael Bartlett on April 15th, 2025 in PFAS/AFFF
Since 2022, millions of veterans have been able to access medical services and disability pay from the VA thanks to the PACT Act. Service members who face toxic exposure during duty should know the PACT Act can ease the process of claiming financial benefits to help with the medical bills related to serious health issues.
Congress passed the PACT Act, short for The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, with the goal of supporting veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. The law authorized allocating $797 billion to expand coverage and extend VA benefits.
The PACT Act is considered the largest healthcare and benefit expansion in VA's history. A key feature of the PACT Act is that it lets veterans get VA benefits and disability pay without needing to prove their service caused their condition.
Veterans usually must prove that their military service caused their disability. However, the PACT Act simplifies this. It recognizes over 20 diseases, like cancers, as presumptive conditions. This means that the VA automatically assumes exposure to harmful substances during military service caused the disability. The presumptive conditions include the following types of cancers:
Other diseases considered as presumptive conditions are:
The PACT Act also requires the VA to provide stoxic exposure screening to veterans enrolled in their healthcare programs. Aside from offering direct assistance to exposed veterans, the law also helps other aspects of the VA. This included improving research on staff education and treatment related to toxic exposures.
As of March, the VA reported that since the PACT Act is implemented:
The VA also disclosed that it has delivered $6.8 billion to veterans and their survivors two years after The PACT Act became law.
To get disability compensation, a veteran needs to receive their disability rating, which measures the severity of their disability.
The VA assigns the disability rating after evaluating evidence of the veteran's condition, results of their VA claim, and other supporting information. A veteran with a 70% disability rating can get $1,759.19 as monthly tax-free disability pay. The figures may still increase, especially if they have surviving dependents like their spouses, children, and parents.
The first step in filing a PACT Act-related claim involves submitting an application with the VA. Veterans or their surviving dependents may do so via the VA's official website, by mail, in person, or with the assistance of a professional.
Filing for a VA claim may take time, energy, and cost, which explains why veterans seek the help of experts to guide them in every step of the process. You may reach out to our team of experienced attorneys who can provide the support you need when filing your PACT Act claim. Since 1990, our lawyers have represented victims of toxic exposure, including dozens of veterans, to get the benefits and compensation they deserve.