CARNEGIE, PA — On August 10, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act into law. This law honors America’s commitments to our veterans by expanding VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. Today, Navy and Iraq War veteran Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) released a video urging his fellow toxic-exposed veterans to start the process of filing for PACT Act benefits and coverage before the law’s upcoming retroactivity deadline of August 9, 2023—a few days from today.

While veterans are still able to file claims under this new law after this August 9 deadline, those who file by the deadline are eligible for benefits backdated to the date of the bill signing. Thus, veterans who begin the process of filing PACT Act claims, even just by completing a document showing an intent to file, could receive benefits backdated one year to August 10, 2022. Those who begin the claim process after August 9 will not be able to receive these backdated benefits.

An estimated five million American veterans could benefit from the PACT Act. Nationwide, over 4.1 million veterans have already received their toxic exposure screenings and more than 400,000 veterans have already had their claims resolved under this new law. As of July 21, 2023, more than 20,500 veterans filed PACT Act related claims in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and nearly 12,000 Pennsylvania veterans have enrolled at the VA since the passage of the PACT Act last year. More eligibility details and information are available at VA.gov/PACT.

Congressman Deluzio’s video is available for viewing and download here, and follows a previous video he released with House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano about the importance of the PACT Act for his fellow veterans.