Deadline approaches for veterans benefits covering toxic exposures for U.S. war veterans dating back to Vietnam.

In a way, the injuries and exposures to toxins suffered by U.S. veterans of the global war on terror are now coming to the aid of veterans of the Vietnam War who were exposed to Agent Orange. A law passed last year is bringing new benefits to veterans who have been suffering from conditions previously not recognized by the U.S. Veterans Administration.

Called the PACT Act, it's been called the most significant expansion of veterans benefits in 30 years.

“It stemmed from these global war on terror veterans coming back and complaining about the burn pits,” says Congressman Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley. The U.S. military used the pits as a form of waste disposal during the wars. Panetta, who served in Afghanistan, remembers his chest hurting as he was out for a run on Bagram Air Base near a burn pit—he ran in another direction. “That was just where we burned our trash. We didn’t think anything of it,” he says.

Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan complained of respiratory illnesses, rashes and cancers that they believed were caused by exposure to toxins while serving in those countries. But for years the Veterans Administration denied claims for treatment, similar to how the VA denied Vietnam War veterans' claims connected to Agent Orange, an herbicide and defoliant used during the war.

After extensive research that proved there was a link between burn pits used by the U.S. Military in Iraq and Afghanistan and the diseases later reported by veterans, Congress passed the PACT Act last year, expanding benefits to cover the costs of treatment. (The full title of the act is the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics. Robinson was a medic who died of a rare form of lung cancer.)

Under the new law, the burden of proof is no longer on veterans. They need only prove they served in a certain area during specific time periods and the VA will presume they were exposed. The act adds around 250 illnesses and conditions to the VA's list. It also includes benefits for surviving spouses and their dependent children.

The act not only benefited veterans of recent wars, but includes veterans of wars dating back to the Vietnam War. The PACT Act adds 25 cancers linked to Agent Orange to the list of diseases the VA covers.

Monterey County has the highest concentration of Vietnam War veterans per capita in the region served by the Palo Alto VA Hospital, says Jack Murphy, interim director and county veteran services officer of the County of Monterey Military and Veterans Affairs Office. Murphy and others are working to reach as many veterans living in the county as possible to let them know about the PACT Act’s new benefits and assist them in filing a claim.

They’ve been working especially hard in recent weeks as an Aug. 9 deadline approaches that could give veterans benefits dating back to when the bill was signed by President Joe Biden on Aug. 10, 2022. Veterans need only submit an intent to file a claim before the deadline to be eligible to collect the benefits once a claim is officially filed. The intent to file requires no additional documentation.

Panetta has been meeting with veterans in events throughout his district—a recent change in boundaries means his district stretches from Paso Robles to the south to Santa Cruz County and south San Jose to the north—to help veterans have access to those early benefits.

There is no deadline to file a claim, but once Aug. 9 passes, they will potentially miss out on a year’s worth of additional compensation.

One veteran Panetta met with told him everyone she worked with while serving overseas developed cancer and then she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. The VA denied her claims, sending her into debt paying out-of- pocket expenses for treatments. The PACT Act allows her to file a claim and receive compensation, plus any additional benefits, Panetta says: “It’s a game changer."

In addition to helping veterans, Murphy says the act indirectly helps clinics like the Major General William H. Gourley VA-DoD Outpatient Clinic in Marina which about six months ago was operating at only about 50 percent capacity. That was partly because the VA has been unable to staff it due to the high cost of living on the Central Coast. The PACT Act provides extra funding to not only hire additional staff and specialists to accommodate an influx of additional veterans’ visits but to provide extra compensation to employees depending on location.

Since the law went into effect, veterans have received $1.4 billion in benefits, says Panetta. Nearly 4 million veterans have been assessed for possible exposures to toxins.

Any veteran who wants to submit a claim or an intent to file a claim can contact the county’s Militiary and Veterans Affairs Office at 831-647-7613, or visit mvao.org.