New PACT Act benefit for vets turns a year old

Aug. 10—MANCHESTER — Ed McCabe of Dover, a Bronze Star recipient veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, said a dramatic expansion of veteran benefits for toxic exposures was long overdue but daunting to navigate through.

"The bill itself is rather complicated. The first time I called the VA (Veterans Administration) I was on hold for three and a half hours," McCabe said.

"For these veterans who have had exposure, it's not going to be about money anymore; it's going to be about medical care."

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., hosted a roundtable Thursday on the one-year anniversary of the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act to learn from advocates and veterans about how to improve outreach for this new program.

The event at the American Legion Sweeney Post came the day after the VA announced it was extending from Friday to Monday the deadline for veterans who seek benefits backdated to the Aug. 10, 2022, that President Biden signed it into law.

A bipartisan group of senators including Hassan pushed for the extension after many veterans got an "error message" when they tried to apply on an overwhelmed VA program website earlier this week.

"If veterans attempted to apply in the last few days and got that error message... it will in fact be counted," Hassan stressed.

Veterans only have to complete a simpler, "intent to file" by Monday and not the full application to qualify for backdated benefits, she said.

The severe injuries post-911 war veterans faced after exposure to burn pits in the Middle East and at U.S. bases were the lightning rod for Congress to pass this largest expansion of benefits in the history of the VA.

This adds 24 medical conditions veterans have presumed to be connected to toxic exposure after service during the Gulf War and Post 911 eras.

These range from many cancers to asthma and chronic sinusitis.

The law also creates new presumptions for Vietnam War veterans that anyone suffering from high blood pressure or hypertension could qualify for enhanced benefits as that could be connected to the veteran's exposure to Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide widely used in that war theater.

Since this program's inception, the VA has approved 2,500 claims for enhanced or new benefits for New Hampshire veterans, Hassan said.

Julie Vose, associate director with the Manchester VA Medical Center said her office program has had an 8% increase in staff, the largest in New England, much of it to provide enhance services under the PACT Act.

"We wholeheartedly agree this is a very exciting time," said Vose, adding the Manchester-based center has hosted 160 outreach events over the past year.

Ena Lima, executive director of the Boston, Mass., Manchester and White River Junction, Vermont, regional offices, said 84,000 veterans nationwide have gotten more help in the past year with $2 billion in claims paid out.

Other veteran leaders said the national VA got a late start in promoting this program and many veterans remain uninformed.

"I think there is a grassroots effort among veterans right now trying to spread the word," said Rick Borrazas, state commander of the Disabled American Veterans chapter.

"The VA should have started advertising sooner and done more PSAs (public service announcements)...Many veterans I speak to say, 'What's that?' and that is just not right."

Wayne Perra, department adjutant with American Legion, said the VA should view this as an opportunity to rebrand itself, especially with older veterans who after coming home wanted nothing to do with the federal government.

"You need to take the big bad VA and get your older veterans to let go of that," Perra said. "This program is a lot to digest but the outreach, it's a little late."

Denis Querrard, state commander with the Veteran of Foreign Wars, Bob Guldner with DAV and Ken Christopher with the Manchester VA also took part in the roundtable Thursday.

A member of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, Hassan said Congress needs to add other medical conditions to qualify for these enhanced benefits.

"There is going to be ongoing work," Hassan said. "A lot of us think this was a good start but there are a lot of conditions that should be covered and we are going to keep pushing."

Hassan's late father, Robert Coldwell Wood, was a veteran of World War II's Battle of the Bulge who went on a career in political science and a stint serving in President Lyndon Johnson's administration.

During Hassan's 2022 reelection, Hassan enlisted McCabe to star in a campaign ad on TV titled, "Worthy."

McCabe said one goal for success of the PACT Act is to educate veterans that seeking these enhanced benefits will not necessarily put at risk disability payments they may already get from the VA.

"This is a great new program but the fight kind of continues," McCabe added.

klandrigan@unionleader.com