Military Veterans Urged to Apply for VA Care Before Sept. 30

U.S. Armed Forces veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in Veterans Administration health care and left the military before Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2013, are eligible to enroll directly for VA health care due to the PACT Act.

This special enrollment period that lasts until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30, gives veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones an opportunity to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for disability compensation benefits, according to Kerr County Veterans Service Officer Jennifer Sanchez.

The VA encourages all such veterans to visit www.VA.gov /PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more and to sign up for VA health care before the deadline.

“Even if you don’t need this care now, you may need it in the future, and once you’re in, you have access for life,” Sanchez said. “But don’t wait. The deadline is Sept. 30. So, go to VA.gov/PACT and apply today.”

“Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than non-enrolled veterans, and VA hospitals have dramatically outperformed non-VA hospital sin overall quality ratings and patient satisfaction ratings,” she said. “Additionally, VA health care is often more affordable than non-VA health care for veterans.”

The special enrollment period is a part of the PACT Act, the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in generations.

President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act into law Aug. 10, 2022, and more than 344,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care since then. Also, more than 4.2 million enrolled veterans have been screened for toxic exposures, thanks to the act.

Although this deadline is written into law for this specific group of veterans, many other groups of veterans are able to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits – including many Vietnam War veterans, Gulf War veterans, veterans who deployed to a combat zone and transitioned out of the service fewer than 10 years ago and others.

Veterans who do not meet any of the above criteria can often still access VA health care by filing for benefits based on income. If a veterans is granted service connection for any health condition, they become eligible for VA care.

The PACT Act also expanded care to millions of veterans by making more than 300 health conditions “presumptive” for service connection. This means that if an eligible veteran has one of the listed health conditions and served in the applicable place during a defined time, the VA automatically assumes that the condition was caused during the veteran’s service and, so, it provides compensation and care accordingly, Sanchez explained.

For more information about how the PACT Act is helping veterans and their survivors, visit https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/healthcare/pactact for the VA’s PACT Act Dashboard.