VA Extends PACT Benefits Deadline for Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has extended the deadline for Veterans and survivors to apply for PACT Act benefits.

Those who submit their intent to file by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 14, will be eligible to have their benefits backdated to August 10, 2022, the day when the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act was signed into law. The law expands health care for Veterans who experienced toxic exposure from the Vietnam war onward, and adds presumptive exposure conditions for a variety of toxins.

The extension comes after technical difficulties were experienced on VA.gov/PACT, causing error messages for some Veterans attempting to submit their intent to file. Despite these issues, the department says all Veterans or survivors who received error messages can consider their intent to file complete, and no Veteran or survivor will miss out on benefits due to the technical glitches.