New Life Insurance Available for Disabled Vets
“Disabled veterans will be guaranteed access to life insurance policies under a new Veterans Affairs program set to launch early next year, department officials announced Tuesday.”
Have VA Caregiver Benefits Expanded?
“Veterans of all eras will be eligible for caregiver benefits starting Oct. 1, an expansion that is expected to add thousands of families to the program in the next year.”
What Is the Supreme Court Doing about Vet’s Retroactive Disability Benefits?
“The Supreme Court listened to arguments Tuesday in a case to determine whether veterans with disabilities can collect decades’ worth of retroactive benefits from the Veterans Administration.”
New Report Released on Private Sector Medical Care Versus the VA
“Veterans who use community care programs to access private sector medical appointments may not be receiving faster, better or less expensive care than if they used Veterans Affairs physicians, according to a new outside analysis of the health care options.”
How Big Is the COLA for Vets This Year?
“Veterans and retirees will see an 8.7% cost-of-living increase in their Social Security benefits starting in December, the largest increase in 42 years, federal officials announced on Thursday.”
How will the VA Extend Caregiver Benefits?
“Veterans Affairs officials will extend caregiver benefits to “legacy” participants of the program through September 2025 under a plan announced Thursday, ensuring that thousands of families will continue to receive stipends for the next three years.”
Vets May See a Big COLA Jump Next Year
“Veterans could see their benefits boosted by the biggest margin in four decades after Congress on Thursday finalized plans to guarantee that veterans’ checks see the same cost-of-living boost as Social Security payouts.”
How Is VA’s Backlog of Claims Looking?
“The Veterans Affairs disability claims backlog has dropped by almost 25% in the last four months, indicating that hiring and overtime efforts are making a significant dent in the pending workload, department officials said.”
How Will the PACT Act Help Veterans?
Luis Martinez, Assistant Director of the San Angelo Veteran Affairs, says older and newer generations of the armed forces joined together to get Biden to pass the PACT Act. The West Texas News’ recent article entitled “PACT Act passed by Biden assists veterans” explains that veterans who fell victim to toxic exposures and burn pits will finally be getting benefits from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to help pay for their conditions.
“The younger generation learned from the lessons of the Vietnam veterans. They didn’t want to be in that same situation. So it was a team effort. Older and younger veterans all pulling together to fight it. Then just contacting the congressmen and women and say, hey, we need this. It took years and finally it passed,” Martinez explained.
Breathing in toxic fumes lead many veterans and 9/11 survivors to experience major health issues, including chronic sinusitis, rhinitis and chronic bronchitis. With this new law, if a vet was denied a disability claim in the past, they’re able to reapply and have another chance to get the help they need.
According to the VA website, here are the improvements the act will bring:
• The expansion and extension of eligibility for VA health care for veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras
• The addition of more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures
• The addition of more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation
• The requirement that the VA provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA health care; and
• Assistance in improving research, staff education and treatment related to toxic exposures.
Th PACT Act will benefit not only victims, but families who have been affected by their loved ones’ conditions.
“If you apply for benefits now and you get service connected for these issues. If something happens later down the road and you pass away from these conditions, those turn into survivor benefits for your family. We don’t want to leave your family out. So that’s why this bill is huge and it’s important to all of us,” Martinez said.
If you’re a veteran or survivor, more information on how to apply for the PACT Act can be found at VA.gov.
Reference: West Texas News (Aug. 22, 2022) “PACT Act passed by Biden assists veterans”
Vets Closer to Toxic Exposure Benefits
“The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act — better known as the PACT Act — is set to be signed into law by President Joe Biden on Aug. 8.”
