Honoring Our PACT Act

The Honoring Our PACT Act

Over 80% of IAVA’s members report being exposed to burn pits and toxic exposures during their deployments. With the passage of the historic Honoring Our PACT Act, many of those veterans are now eligible for health care and benefits based on a presumption of illness, reducing the red tape often associated with the VA claims process. A major accomplishment for IAVA and other veteran advocates, the PACT Act will provide health care and benefits for an estimated 3.5 million veterans and veteran family members.

What is the PACT Act ?

While the VA had taken great strides forward in recent years to deal with toxic exposures, it was not enough. The PACT Act is comprehensive legislation that not only provides for healthcare and benefits, but also creates a framework for how presumptive illnesses are handled.

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BREAKING NEWS!

IAVA celebrates the final passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act, signed into law by President Biden on August 10, 2022.

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Together We're Stronger

Collaboration on events and advocacy brought our community together and gave the movement momentum. Check out some highlights of how we brought attention to this critical issue.

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How IAVA advocated for post-9/11 veterans

Testimonies before Congress

“This is my fourth year in a row testifying… as CEO of IAVA and every year I have discussed the need to address the health issues brought on by 20 years of military toxic exposures, including from burn pit usage in Iraq and Afghanistan. Small steps have been made but, like the incremental moves taken to address Agent Orange, we are decades too late in the government owning up to this self-inflicted wound,” said Jeremy Butler, IAVA’s CEO, on March 2, 2022.
 

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Coordination with the VSO Community

In a formal letter delivered on April 14th, 2022, IAVA joined dozens of Veteran Service Organizations imploring the Senate leadership to pass the PACT Act.

“On behalf of the United States Service members and veterans we represent, our Veterans and Military Service Organizations call on the Senate to expeditiously pass the comprehensive Honoring Our PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which passed the House on March 3 with a bipartisan vote of 256 – 174.”
 

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The "Fire Watch" at the US Capitol

IAVA and a coalition of other Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) were already counting the win when an unexpected procedural issue in the Senate caused the whole bill to be put in jeopardy on July 27, 2022. If it wasn’t for the tenacity of veterans and supporters that stood a 24-hour “Fire Watch” on the Capitol steps for 5 full days, this historic legislation may not have passed the Senate. But the pressure campaign worked, with the public rallying behind veterans, resulting in final bi-partisan passage in the Senate on August 2, 2022.
 

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PACT Act Quick References

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