August 6, 2023 - OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta is reminding California veterans who were exposed to dangerous toxins in the course of their service to submit a claim for Veterans Administration (VA) benefits, or notify the VA of their intent to file to obtain benefits under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act by August 9, 2023. The PACT Act expands the eligibility of veterans exposed to toxic substances like burn pits and Agent Orange— as well as certain surviving family members of veterans— VA healthcare coverage and financial compensation. While there is no deadline to apply for benefits provided under the PACT Act, veterans eligible for these benefits are encouraged to apply for benefits, or advise the VA of their intent to file, by Wednesday, August 9, 2023 to preserve their ability to receive 12 months of retroactive benefits.

“We have an obligation to ensure veterans who were exposed to toxic hazards receive the care they deserve. Last year, I joined a coalition of attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate to pass the PACT Act and I am pleased that President Biden signed the bill,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Now that the PACT Act is the law of the land, I urge eligible veterans to file a claim with the VA — or advise the VA of their intent to file — by visiting www.va.gov/pact or calling 1-800-MyVA411 by August 9 in order to preserve their ability to receive a year of retroactive benefits." 

Veterans do not need to pay to file a claim. Veterans in need of assistance can receive free help with their claims from the VA, their county veterans service office, or other accredited representatives. Named after Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, a combat medic who battled a rare form of lung cancer from exposure to a toxic burn pit, the PACT Act provides veterans of the Vietnam era, Gulf War era, and Post-9/11 era who were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances with expanded healthcare and benefits, including by expanding the list of health conditions that the VA will presume to have been caused by these toxic exposures. More than 770,000 PACT Act claims have been filed to date, and nearly 78% of these have been approved.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting California veterans and their families. In August 2022, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of nine attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate to pass the PACT Act expanding benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxins. Further, last month, Attorney General Bonta submitted a letter to Congress in support of federal legislation that would extend eligibility for certain housing and educational benefits to Black World War II veterans and their families. During this year's Military Consumer Month, Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert to help protect California service members, veterans, and their family members from targeted common scams and fraud. In April 2023, Attorney General Bonta filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of U.S. veteran James R. Rudisill in his attempt to access educational benefits to which he is entitled under the GI Bill.
Source: CA. DOJ