August 7, 2023 - By Jeff Jardine  - As a Chief Yeoman in the U.S. Navy, attached to a Seabees command battalion in Afghanistan, Temecula’s Angela Fritzoni incurred numerous injuries that eventually resulted in a 100 percent service-related disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“In Afghanistan, our mission was to help the Afghans build to fight (terrorism)” said Fritzoni, whose military career spanned from 1995 until 2019.

Fritzoni serving in Afghanistan.

It took her to places like Kandahar and Camp Phoenix, where the dangers came not only from insurgents, but also wafted through the air in the form of toxic smoke.

“We had burn pits right outside the bases,” Fritzoni said.

Following her return stateside and into retirement, she’s developed skin irritations and other health concerns that were unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

Fritzoni is among those imploring veterans to file claims under the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act by August 9. Beating that deadline means they can qualify for benefits retroactive to August 10, 2022, which is the anniversary of the date President Joe Biden signed the Act into law. Veterans who file claims after August 9 will still be eligible for benefits, but only from August 10, 2023 going forward.

Per the USDVA, the PACT Act expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances, adding to the list of presumptive health conditions caused by exposure. It covers Gulf War and Post 9/11 veterans as well as Vietnam War veterans, and will help to provide generations of veterans—and their survivors—with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.

Sandy Duchac, vice-president of the board of Veteran Sisters, and Fritzoni.

Fritzoni now serves as the board secretary for Veteran Sisters, a non-profit based in Menifee, in Riverside County. It is a peer support organization for women who are victims of military sexual assault. She also helps veterans file claims with the VA, including for PACT Act benefits.

Fritzoni attended a roundtable hosted last week in Riverside by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Rep. Mark Takano, along with State Sen. Richard Roth, and Assembly Member Sabrina Cervantes. Takano is the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Brad Pedersen of CalVet’s Home Loans Division also attended. The purpose of the event was to remind and encourage veterans to file before the August 9 deadline.

Fritzoni filed her own PACT Act claims earlier this year and is awaiting confirmation.

“Between the vaccinations and the burn pits, I know my system was affected,” she said. Her autoimmune system is compromised—something, she said that has not surfaced in genetic testing involving other members of her family. Because she is already received the 100-percent service disability rating, she said it was difficult to convince doctors of the need to confirm and include the toxic exposure element. She wants it on the record regardless.

“How is it not service connected?” she said.

According to the VA’s PACT Act performance dashboard, more than 53,000 California veterans have filed claims, out of roughly 745,000 filed nationally. The VA claims a 78 percent approval rate.

California veterans can sign up or file a claim by contacting their local County Veterans Service Office or by visiting the VA’s log-in page or calling 800-698-2411. You can find out how to notify the VA of your intent to file a claim for VA disability, pension, or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits at www.va.gov/resources/your-intent-to-file-a-va-claim/.
Source: CalVet