#Middlebury #Presumptives #Veterans #PACTAct
VETERANS POST
By Freddy Groves
In January, the Department of Veterans Affairs added several illnesses to its list of presumptives, courtesy of the PACT Act. Done in two batches, the new additions to the list make it easier for veterans to get the care they need without the dragged-out process of proving that where they were stationed was the cause of their current condition. The illnesses are now considered service connected, which gives veterans free health care for those conditions.
The first batch of conditions (in effect on Jan. 2) included urinary bladder, ureter and related genitourinary cancers. The second batch (Jan. 10) included acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, and myelodysplastic syndromes and myelofibrosis.
Locations matter, and these presumptives are covered for veterans who served in Somalia, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea or the Red Sea on or after Aug. 2, 1990.
After 9/11, the covered locations are for those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen or Uzbekistan.
K2 veterans, you haven’t been forgotten. In fact, those serving at Karshi-Khanabad have been recipients of a major push by the VA to get you the health benefits you should have. Too many K2 veterans have undiagnosed illnesses and multi-symptom illnesses, likely from what was in the toxic environment while you were there: jet fuel, asbestos roof tiles, volatile organic compounds, depleted uranium, open burn pits, and more. A recent VA news release says that of the 16,000 K2 veterans, 13,000 are enrolled in VA care. Of those, 11,800 have at least one service connected condition, with the average having 14.6 service-connected conditions.
If you’re K2 – and even if you aren’t – and haven’t signed up for health care, call the VA at 1-800-MYVA411 (800-698-2411). Get the benefits you’re supposed to have.
© 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
