THANKS to the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT, Act, CNMI veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances can register for expanded healthcare and benefits through the U.S. Veterans Affairs Outreach Clinic.
The PACT Act 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. It adds more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures, and more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation. It also requires VA to provide toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA healthcare, and helps the VA improve research, staff education and treatment related to toxic exposures.
VA Pacific Islands Health Care System Member Services Chief James Sewell is on island through Friday, Sept. 16, to register CNMI veterans who fall within the aforementioned categories.
Sewell, who served six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said registration is important “mainly because the veterans need to get added to the system.”
“We don’t know how they’ve been affected because of the burn pits and the hazards that they were exposed to, so adding them to the registry will be easier. That way, when concerns do happen on any conditions, we’re able to address it,” he said.
Prior to his visit to the CNMI, he was on Guam and saw approximately 96 veterans register to avail themselves of PACT benefits.
For more information or to file a claim, visit https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/ or call the national enrollment line at 1-800-827-1000.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outreach clinic is located in Suite 206 of the Marina Heights II building in Puerto Rico, Saipan.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Outreach Clinic is located in Suite 206 of the MH II building in Puerto Rico, Saipan.
Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System Member Services Chief James Sewell poses for a photo on Wednesday at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Outreach Clinic.
