The Commitment to Combat Comprehensive Toxicity (PACT) Act expanded the benefits provided to veterans exposed to toxic substances in Iraq and Afghanistan. For post-9/11 veterans, the PACT Act extends the length of time you must be enrolled in Veterans Affairs (VA) health care to 10 years after you leave the hospital. We will also create a one-year open registration period for veterans who do not fit within the 10-year period.
To receive a Veterans Disability Assessment, veterans typically must demonstrate that the condition that caused their disability was related to military service. The PACT Act removes this burden of proof for many health conditions presumed to be caused by exposure to these toxic substances.
Currently, the following cancers are presumed:
- brain tumor
- all types of gastrointestinal cancer
- glioblastoma
- all types of head cancer
- kidney cancer
- all types of lymphatic cancer
- all types of lymphoma
- melanoma
- all types of cervical cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- all types of reproductive cancer
Currently, the following diseases are presumed.
- Asthma diagnosed after service
- chronic bronchitis
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- chronic rhinitis
- chronic sinusitis
- Bronchiolitis constrictor or bronchiolitis obliterans
- emphysema
- granulomatous disease
- interstitial lung disease (ILD)
- pleurisy
- pulmonary fibrosis
- sarcoidosis
Veterans with a presumed medical condition are not required to prove that their service caused the medical condition.
- Service in the airspace over Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), or any of these places after 2 August 1990
- Service in airspace over Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, Yemen, or any of these places after 11 September 2001
For other presumed conditions related to exposure, please visit the US Department of Veterans Affairs website.
Claiming benefits
To submit a disability claim for your new presumed condition, complete VA’s Disability Claim Form.
For veterans previously denied disability claims that are now considered presumptive, please visit the VA’s Supplemental Claims page.
For general information about PACT laws and VA benefits, please visit the VA Resources and Support page.
