The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promises to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act is finally law!
The PACT act, which I’ve discussed previously, as well as in February and May, has finally been signed into law by President Biden on August 10, 2022. The President has long stated that he believes his son Beau’s death from brain cancer was due to exposure from burn pits used during the Iraq War.
The PACT Act is a comprehensive legislation that expands VA health care eligibility to Post-9/11 combat veterans (which includes more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans), creates a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure, adds OVER 20 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to VA’s list of service presumptions, expands presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure to include hypertension and Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), includes NEW LOCATIONS for Agent Orange exposure, strengthens federal research on toxic exposure, and improves VA’s resources and training for toxic-exposed veterans.
Additionally, the PACT Act includes the Camp LeJeune Justice Act, which would allow soldiers stationed at the base, as well as family members and civilian contactors who were at the base, for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 to sue the government for damages after exposure to toxic substances in the water. Almost one million people lived and worked at the base between 1953 and 1987, and a study found that people staying in Camp Lejeune had significantly higher mortality rates for several forms of cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and other conditions.
It has been opined that as many as one in every five veterans living in America today could directly benefit from the new legislation.
Gardberg and Kemmerly is very pleased to see this very important piece of legislation passed and made into law because we know that our Veterans will benefit tremendously. We are open for calls and online assistance and will continue to help our Veterans in any way possible, including staying up to date on legislation like the PACT Act. If you have a claim for disability and need assistance, please call our office and speak with one of our qualified Veterans’ Disability attorneys. Gardberg and Kemmerly is committed to helping injured and disabled Veterans obtain the benefits they deserve. If you need help with a disability claim, call the office at 251-343-1111 or 800-332-1529 for a free consultation. Gardberg and Kemmerly is proud to serve Veterans across the country from our home office in Mobile, Alabama.