Waukesha County Vietnam, Gulf War and Post-911 Veterans Urged to Reach Out After PACT Act Passes

The Waukesha County Veterans Services Office (CVSO) urges all Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-911 eras, or their surviving family members, to schedule an appointment with their office to determine if additional benefits are afforded by the passage of PACT Act.

“Waukesha County has many Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veterans who are now eligible to receive monthly tax-free payments, enrollment for free health care at VA facilities, and educational benefits,” said Waukesha County Veterans Services Officer Dan Driscoll. “There are also a number of surviving spouses now eligible to receive monthly payments, free health care, and insurance and property tax reimbursement. We want to help connect all of them to eligible benefits and are asking that they reach out by scheduling an appointment with us.” 

The full name of the law is The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history.

The PACT Act will bring these changes: 

• Expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras 
• Adds more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures to include Hypertension for Vietnam War Veterans and asthma and COPD for Gulf War Veterans. 
• Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange to include Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Guam, American Samoa and Johnson Atoll. 
• Adds Enewetak Atoll, Palomares, Spain and Thule AFB, Greenland as radiation presumptive locations. 
• Adds Somalia, Egypt, Lebanon and Yemen to the list of Gulf War countries. 
• Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care 
• Improves research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures 

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If you are a Veteran or Surviving Spouse of a Veteran with service in the areas listed above, you can file claims and reopen claims previously denied by the VA as a result of the PACT Act. Many of the disabilities now recognized by the VA may lead to monthly tax-free payments, VA health insurance, Wisconsin property tax eligibility and other benefits. The VA-accredited representatives in the Waukesha County Veterans Services will gladly assist with benefits applications and health care enrollments free of charge.

To better serve the increasing volume of time-sensitive claims related to the passing of the PACT Act, Veterans are requested to schedule an appointment. Please call 262-548-7732 or email the office at [email protected] to schedule an appointment. 

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