Military veterans who deployed to a combat zone, left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001 and Oct. 1, 2013 — and who never enrolled in health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs — have until Sep. 30 to enroll directly VA health care.
The VA says this is an important step for veterans in these categories because it allows vets, especially those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and other combat zones to enroll in VA health care without applying for VA benefits first. The VA says this mirrors its health care policy for other veterans, including those who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War and those who deployed to combat zones before transitioning out of military service less than a decade ago.
This is part of the PACT Act approved by Congress and signed by President Biden 13 months ago, which expanded benefits for millions of veterans and made more than 300 health conditions “presumptive” for health care. The PACT Act has led to nearly $2 billion in benefits to veterans and their survivors nationwide. In Kansas, more than 8,900 veterans have received benefits and more than 3,200 have enrolled in VA health care since the PACT Act was approved.
More information about the PACT Act is available online through VA.gov/PACT or by calling 800-MYVA-411.
