Veterans Exposed to Toxins Eligible for VA Care
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – Veteran Service Officer for Houston County Mike Maiden shared some interesting news from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding those affected by toxins and other hazards while serving.
“The VA announced that all Veterans who were exposed to toxins andother hazards while serving in the military – at home or abroad – are now eligible to enroll directly in VA health care. This means all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror or any other combat zone after 9/11 are eligible to enroll in VA health care, without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States are eligible to enroll.
VA encourages all eligible veterans to visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more
and apply for VA health care today.
“If you’re a veteran who may have been exposed to toxins or hazards while serving our
country, at home or abroad, we want you to come to us for the health care you deserve,”
said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.“VA is proven to be the best, most affordable
health care in America for Veterans – and once you’re in, you have access for life. So
don’t wait, enroll today.”
“Today, we’re making millions of Veterans eligible for VA health care years earlier than
called for by the PACT Act,” said VAUnder Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D.
“With this expansion, VA can care for all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the
Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after
9/11. We can also care for Veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or
hazards while training or on active duty here at home – by working with chemicals,
pesticides, lead, asbestos, certain paints, nuclear weapons, x-rays, and more. We want
to bring all of these veterans to VA for the care they’ve earned and deserve.”
This expansion of care covers Vietnam Veterans, Gulf War Veterans, Iraq War Veterans,
Afghanistan War Veterans, veterans who deployed in support of contingency operations for the
Global War on Terror (Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Resolute Support
Mission), among others.
This expansion also covers many veterans who never deployed as a part of a conflict but were
exposed to toxins or hazards while serving in the U.S. Specifically, under this expansion of care,
any veteran who participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) – at home or abroad – is
eligible for VA health care.
VA has determined that veterans who were exposed to one or more of the following hazards or conditions during active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training participated in a TERA: air pollutants (burn pits, sand, dust, particulates, oil well fires, sulfur fires); chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, depleted uranium with embedded shrapnel, contaminated water); occupational hazards (asbestos, industrial solvents, lead, paints including chemical agent resistant coating, firefighting foams); radiation (nuclear weapons handling, maintenance and detonation, radioactive material, calibration and measurement sources, X-rays, radiation from military occupational exposure) and warfare agents (nerve agents, chemical.)”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
