MILWAUKEE — It’s been a little over a month since the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act was signed into law, which means more veterans will soon receive coverage.
While all of this is still new to many veterans, the PACT Act is the largest expansion of VA health care benefits. This means that VA hospitals are gearing up for more veterans to receive care soon.
“This gives the ability to ensure that they receive the appropriate care for serving their country and being exposed to those elements,” Milwaukee VA acting director James McLain said.
McLain said anywhere from 30,000 to 75,000 Wisconsin veterans could be impacted by this coverage expansion. It’s a large growth that the hospital system said it’s planning on expanding for.
“We will do our best to adjust and overcome when it comes to new volumes but to us we feel it is a good thing,” McLain said.
The VA’s enrollment department said it is already seeing an increase in calls from veterans and family members looking to enroll.
“There is definitely an uptick but I don’t think we have felt the full effect of this yet,” Milwaukee VA program manager for benefits management Beth Ann Smith said.
Smith said they don’t know everything at the moment, but what they do know is the enrollment of the PACT Act will be done in phases.
“It is a phased approached and right now the information we have,” Smith said. “There are three categories of veterans based on their discharge from the military and it’s going to be a phased approach with each one of these categories.”
So who qualifies under this new law? Well, to put it simply, veterans with toxic exposure from the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and as well as post-Sept. 11 era veterans.
“We are seeing an increase in people asking about the presumptive conditions, what does it mean to them, how do they apply for benefits,” Milwaukee VA public contact outreach specialist Glenn Ramski said.
The biggest takeaways for veterans to apply are that they should enroll for health care benefits if they haven’t already, and to get involved with a veteran service organization to make the process as smooth as possible.
To enroll in benefits, visit the VA website, or call the Health Eligibility Center at (800) 929-8387.