Dear Neighbor,

For too long, our service members have put their lives at risk to defend our nation and returned home with a greater risk of cancer, respiratory diseases, and other harmful conditions because of these toxins. The PACT Act ensures that these courageous men and women won't have to navigate a web of red tape to receive treatment and other benefits. Just as our veterans made a commitment to serve our nation, our nation has a responsibility to serve them long after they take off the uniform. Now, thanks to Democrats and President Joe Biden, the PACT Act is ensuring our veterans have access to the lifesaving care they have earned. Veterans should visit VA.Gov/PACT to take advantage of all that the PACT Act has to offer.

While more than 11,500 veterans call New York's 9th District home, from August 10, 2022, to March 1, 2024, these veterans submitted only 491 PACT Act-related benefit claims for disability payments. So please, tell your neighbors about this program and help get the word out its many life-changing resources! They're available for the taking – Brooklyn's veterans need only apply to see if they qualify.

Take a look below at some facts on the PACT Act, as well as the many benefits it can provide to our veterans:

• Screening veterans for toxic exposures: More than 5.4 million veterans have received free screenings for toxic exposures from VA under the PACT Act – a critical step to catching and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions as early as possible.
• Delivering benefits to veterans and their survivors: Since enactment, VA has delivered more than $5.7 billion in earned PACT Act-related benefits to veterans and their survivors. VA is delivering these benefits to veterans at the fastest rate in history, processing 1.57 million total claims thus far in this fiscal year – 28% more year-to-date than the previous all-time record. In total, VA has processed 1,327,228 PACT Act claims since August 10, 2022.
• Prioritizing veterans with cancer: As a part of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, VA has prioritized claims processing for veterans with cancer – delivering nearly $637 million in PACT Act benefits to veterans with cancer. VA also prioritizes claims for veterans with terminal illnesses and veterans experiencing homelessness.
• Spreading the word to veterans and their survivors: Thanks to the PACT Act outreach campaign, veterans and survivors are applying for their earned benefits at record rates. Since August 2022, veterans and survivors have submitted 4.17 million total claims. This includes 1,655,810 PACT Act-specific claims applications.
• Increasing VA’s capacity to serve veterans: Thanks to new PACT Act authorities, VA has been able to expand its workforce in order to serve veterans as quickly and effectively as possible. In total, both the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits administration have achieved their highest growth rates in 20 years.
• Eliminating benefits delays for veterans: Instead of phasing in conditions over several years (as outlined in the legislation), the Biden-Harris Administration decided to make all conditions in the PACT Act presumptive for benefits as of August 10, 2022, the day the bill was signed into law. This decision expedited the timeline for veterans to receive their earned care and benefits by several years.
• Accelerating health care eligibility for veterans: As of March 2024, VA opened up eligibility for toxic exposed veterans to enroll in VA Health Care without first having to prove a service-connected disability and regardless of their deployment location, nearly ten years earlier than called for in the PACT Act. Thanks to new PACT Act eligibility, more than 145,000 veterans have newly enrolled in VA Health Care since August 10, 2022. 

Sincerely,