EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
It’s been almost one year since President Joe Biden signed new legislation that expands disability benefits and healthcare coverage for veterans, particularly those who were exposed to toxic burn pits while serving overseas after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. This is the largest expansion of veterans benefits in decades.
The law is commonly known as the PACT Act, and any veterans who file for benefits by Aug. 9 – or just indicate their intention to file – can have their compensation backdated to Aug. 10 of last year. Information about filing can be found at www.va.gov/pact.
There are a variety of local reporting opportunities related to the one-year mark of the PACT Act’s passage. Below are some resources, including the number of Pact Act claims filed in your state and where the law has funded the opening of new VA facilities.
___
READ AP’s LATEST
Veterans see historic expansion of benefits for toxic exposure as new law nears anniversary
___
HOW DOES THE PACT ACT WORK?
The law smooths the process for veterans to receive expanded benefits by assuming that certain cancers and other ailments were caused by exposure to burn pits, which were used to dispose of trash on military bases. Similar steps are taken for Agent Orange, which was used during the Vietnam War.
___
FIND YOUR STATE: HOW MANY VETERANS ARE RECEIVING BENEFITS?
The VA has been tracking the number of claims that it’s been receiving.
Scroll to the fifth page of this document to see a break down of PACT claims data by state.
This document, called the Pact Act Performance Dashboard, is published every other Friday, though the state breakdown is only included in every other issue. You can find new and archived issues here. Each dashboard issue provides updated info on claims filed, including the number of claims, both Pact and non-Pact related, the completion rate and timing of claims, the most frequent conditions mentioned in PACT claims, upcoming outreach events and other intel.
___
FIND YOUR STATE: NEW FACILITIES OPENING
The PACT Act does more than expand benefits. It also helps the VA open new facilities. Here’s a list of 31 places in 19 states where the agency intends to sign leases to expand its operations. You can see a map view here. To learn more details about these expansions, contact your regional VA office.
COLORADO
Denver – Residential Treatment Facility
— — —
FLORIDA
The Villages (Gainesville) – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Lecanto – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Sarasota – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Tampa – Community Living Center Lease
— — —
GEORGIA
Atlanta – Veterans Health Administration Member Services
— — —
INDIANA
Lawrence – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
KENTUCKY
Elizabethtown – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
MARYLAND
Baltimore – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Prince George’s County – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
MASSACHUSETTS
Springfield – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
MINNESOTA
Brainerd – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
MISSOURI
Columbia – Research Lease
Farmington – Outpatient Clinic Lease
North Kansas City – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Rolla – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
NEW YORK
Buffalo – Research Lease
— — —
NORTH CAROLINA
Jacksonville – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
PENNSYLVANIA
Allentown – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
SOUTH CAROLINA
Beaufort – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
TENNESSEE
Clarksville – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Cookeville – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Nashville – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
TEXAS
Beaumont – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Killeen – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Pflugerville – Outpatient Clinic Lease
Plano – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
UTAH
Salt Lake City – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
VIRGINIA
Hampton – Outpatient Clinic Lease
— — —
WASHINGTON
Tri-City – Outpatient Clinic Lease
___
HOW IS THE VA HANDLING THE INFLUX OF CLAIMS?
The VA has been racing to hire more staff to deal with the workload, and that effort is being tracked here.
FIND YOUR STATE: TOP 10 STATES FOR GROWTH IN BENEFITS PERSONNEL
According to the VA, these are the top 10 states for growth in benefits personnel.
TEXAS
ARIZONA
OHIO
TENNESSEE
FLORIDA
UTAH
NORTH CAROLINA
PENNSYLVANIA
GEORGIA
NEVADA
The VA is also hiring healthcare workers, and the data is broken down by regional networks which are called Veterans Integrated Services Networks (VISNs).
The largest growth rates are taking place in VISN 9 (KY, TN); VISN 16 (AR, MS, LA); VISN 22 (AZ, NM, SoCAL), VISN 19 (MT, WY, UT, CO, OK), and VISN 10 (MI, IN, OH).
In terms of growth in sheer numbers, the leading regions are VISN 16 (AR, MS, LA); VISN 8 (FL); VISN 19 (MT, WY, UT, CO); VISN 17 (TX), and VISN 7 (AL, GA, SC).
___
CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS FOR VETS
Contact your regional VA office, local American Legion or another organization that serve veterans. See if they can connect with you veterans who may be receiving PACT benefits.
— Did you serve near burn pits, and do you have health problems associated with them?
— How did you learn about filing for the PACT Act, and how easy or hard was the process?
— How have your views on the VA and its services changed over the years?
___
READ MORE AP COVERGE
Biden signs ‘burn pits’ help for vets; a personal win, too
Burn pits recognition for veterans took decade of struggle
___
Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.
