The VA announced that all veterans who have served in a combat zone since the Vietnam War, as well as those who participated in training or operations and came into contact with hazardous materials, will be able to enroll in VA health care. Under the PACT Act, more than 100,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care and roughly 760,000 disability claims have been approved.

This applies to all veterans who deployed to combat zones in support of the Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars to enroll in VA health care. In addition, veterans who never deployed but were exposed to pollutants while participating in a known “toxic exposure risk activity,” or TERA, either in the U.S. or abroad, will be eligible. The VA will use service records and other resources to determine whether a veteran participated in a TERA.

Veterans are not required to have a service-connected disability or file a compensation claim to be eligible for VA care. To learn more, visit the VA.gov/PACT website or call 1-800-MYVA411. The Santa Clara County Office of Veterans Services (VSO) can help you navigate the process.  They are at 68 North Winchester Boulevard (near Santana Row) in Santa Clara, Phone: (408) 918-4980