The PACT Act: What It Means for Your VA Claim

What Is the PACT Act?

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act is the most significant expansion of VA healthcare and benefits in decades. Signed into law August 10, 2022, it addresses toxic exposures including burn pits, Agent Orange, and radiation.

What Changed

The PACT Act:

• Added 23 new presumptive conditions related to burn pit and toxic exposure
• Expanded Agent Orange presumptives to include Thailand, Guam, and other locations
• Created a framework for future presumptives (so the VA can add more without new legislation)
• Expanded VA healthcare eligibility for toxic-exposed veterans
• Removed the requirement to prove direct toxic exposure for many conditions

Burn Pit / Airborne Hazard Presumptives

If you served in Southwest Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, or certain other locations after August 2, 1990, the following are now presumptively service-connected:

Cancers: Bladder, head/neck, respiratory (lung, bronchus, larynx, trachea), reproductive, melanoma, pancreatic, kidney, and more

Respiratory conditions: Constrictive bronchiolitis, constrictive pericarditis, chronic sinusitis, chronic rhinitis, chronic laryngitis, glioblastoma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Agent Orange Presumptives (Expanded)

Locations now included:

• Vietnam (expanded dates)
• Thailand (certain Royal Thai Air Force Bases)
• Guam
• American Samoa
• Johnston Atoll
• Certain test/storage sites

How to File Under the PACT Act

1. Check your eligibility — Did you serve in a covered location during a covered period?
2. Identify your conditions — Are your conditions on the presumptive list?
3. Gather evidence — Service records showing your location + medical records showing your diagnosis
4. File your claim — Standard VA Form 21-526EZ. Note "PACT Act" and the specific presumptive condition.
5. No nexus letter needed — For presumptive conditions, the VA assumes the connection. You just need the diagnosis and the service location.