Veteran Benefits
PACT Act & Toxic Exposure
The 2022 PACT Act is the largest expansion of VA benefits in decades. It makes it far easier for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins to get health care and disability compensation.
There’s a free calculator on this page - screen your service for toxic exposure. No sign-up, no cost.
Who this is for
If you were around burn pits, Agent Orange, or other toxic exposures - wherever and however you served - the law changed in your favor. Many illnesses are now presumed connected to your service, which can mean you do not have to prove that link yourself.
In plain language
What PACT Act & Toxic Exposure covers
- Adds 20+ presumptive conditions, many cancers and respiratory illnesses, so you no longer have to prove the link to service
- Expands Agent Orange coverage and adds new exposure locations and eras
- Opens VA health care to more toxic-exposure veterans, with a free toxic-exposure screening
- Survivors of a veteran who died from a covered condition may now qualify for DIC, pension, or CHAMPVA
The PACT Act: A Message from the Secretaries of Defense and VAOfficial video - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
20+ conditions
New presumptive illnesses added by the 2022 PACT Act
No deadline
There is no time limit to file a PACT Act claim
No proof of cause
Presumptive means the VA assumes your service caused it
Screen your service for toxic exposure
Toxic exposure & location screener
Check every place you served and every job you actually did - even short stints and side duties. We'll show where the VA presumes your exposure automatically, and where the exposure is real but has to be documented with your records. Exposure follows your unit, your locations, and your work, never just your listed job title.
Check every place you served and every job you actually did - even for a short time, even if it was not your main assignment. Exposure follows your unit, your locations, and the work you did, not just your job title.
Where and when did you serve?
Agent Orange / herbicide locations
Herbicide exposure is presumed - you do not have to prove you touched it.
Burn pit & airborne hazard locations
PACT Act presumes airborne-hazard exposure for this service.
Camp Lejeune contaminated water
Presumptive conditions apply, plus a separate Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim path.
Radiation-risk activities
Certain radiogenic diseases are presumptive for these activities.
Jobs and bases that can carry exposure
Contaminated stateside or overseas bases
Real contamination, but not on the automatic presumptive list - it must be documented.
Jobs that carry exposure - even if it was not your main MOS
Your exposure follows the work you actually did, not just your listed job title.
Your exposure screen
Check the places you served and the jobs you did on the left, and your likely exposure picture will appear here.
See the official VA exposure listsThis calculator is free. No sign-up, no catch.
Most people in this business hide tools like this behind a paywall or a sign-up form. We don’t. Use it as much as you need. And if you want a real accredited agent to look at your actual claim, we’re one call away — it’s free to talk, and free to file your claim.
Albert L. Thombs Jr. — VA-accredited claims agent (#45147), a disabled veteran with a team of advocates who do this every day.
The full picture
Everything you need to know
Nothing hidden behind a click. Here is the whole story in plain language, so you can decide what fits your situation.
Key facts & current figures
- "Presumptive" means the VA assumes the condition is service-connected, so you do not have to prove causation.
- Presumptive cancers include brain, gastrointestinal, kidney, lymphoma, melanoma, pancreatic, reproductive, and respiratory cancers.
- Presumptive respiratory illnesses include asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, emphysema, and pulmonary fibrosis.
- Agent Orange coverage now adds hypertension and MGUS, plus new locations such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Guam.
- Previously denied? A Supplemental Claim with the new presumptive status can reopen your case.
General figures, current as of December 2025 and reviewed each year. Your exact amount depends on your situation - always confirm on va.gov.
What the PACT Act changed
- The PACT Act became law in August 2022. It is the biggest expansion of VA health care and benefits in more than 30 years.
- Before this law, many veterans had to prove that an illness was caused by their service. The PACT Act makes many illnesses "presumptive," which means the VA now assumes your service caused them.
- Because a condition is presumptive, you no longer have to track down old records or medical opinions to prove the link. This is a big help for older veterans whose records may be incomplete.
- The law also gives every eligible veteran a free toxic-exposure screening at the VA, and it opened VA health care to more veterans sooner.
Burn pits and the Gulf War / post-9/11 era: who is covered
- Burn pits were large open fires used to get rid of trash, chemicals, and waste at bases overseas. The smoke exposed many troops to harmful toxins.
- If you served in the Gulf War (starting August 2, 1990) or any time after September 11, 2001, in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Djibouti, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Somalia, or Uzbekistan, the VA considers you exposed.
- You do not have to prove you stood near a burn pit. If you served in a covered location during a covered time, the VA presumes the exposure.
Agent Orange and the Vietnam era: what is new
- Agent Orange was a chemical weed-killer used during the Vietnam War. It has been linked to many serious illnesses.
- The PACT Act added two new presumptive conditions tied to Agent Orange: high blood pressure (hypertension) and a blood condition called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance).
- It also added new locations and dates. Veterans who served in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Guam, American Samoa, or Johnston Atoll during set periods may now be covered.
Presumptive conditions: the full picture
- Presumptive cancers now include brain cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, kidney cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, pancreatic cancer, reproductive cancers, and respiratory (breathing-related) cancers, among others.
- Presumptive breathing illnesses now include asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, emphysema, chronic sinusitis, chronic rhinitis, and pulmonary fibrosis.
- Presumptive means the VA assumes the illness is connected to your service, so the claim is usually faster and easier to win.
Step by step: how to file (this is always free)
- Step 1: Get a free toxic-exposure screening at your VA health facility, or ask for one by calling MyVA411 at 1-800-698-2411.
- Step 2: Gather what you have: your DD-214 discharge papers, a list of where and when you served, and any medical records or diagnoses.
- Step 3: File a disability claim using VA Form 21-526EZ. You can file online at va.gov, by mail, or with free help from an accredited Veterans Service Officer.
- Step 4: Before you finish gathering everything, file an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966). This locks in your start date so back pay can go back to that day.
- You never have to pay an upfront fee to file an initial claim. Charging one is against the law.
If you were denied before
- If the VA turned you down in the past for a condition that is now presumptive, you can ask them to look again.
- File a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) and note that the condition is now covered under the PACT Act. The VA will review it under the new rules.
- There is no deadline to file a PACT Act claim, but filing sooner can protect your back pay.
For survivors and family
- If a veteran died from a condition now covered by the PACT Act, the surviving spouse or children may qualify for a monthly payment called DIC, a survivors pension, or CHAMPVA health coverage.
- Survivors can also file a claim for benefits the veteran was owed but had not yet received.
- Our Survivors page explains these in plain language, and our assistant can walk you through them step by step.
Your complete benefit picture
You do not have to sort this out alone
There is no deadline to file a PACT Act claim, and you can apply yourself for free. Filing sooner can protect your effective date for back pay.
If you were denied before
A past denial can be reopened
If the VA turned you down for a condition that is now presumptive, you do not have to start over. File a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) and the VA will review it under the new PACT Act rules.
There is no deadline, but filing sooner can protect your effective date for back pay.
Burn pits
Service in covered Gulf War / post-9/11 locations presumes exposure - you do not have to prove you stood near a pit.
Agent Orange
New conditions (hypertension, MGUS) and new locations (Thailand, Laos, Guam) are now covered.
A clear path forward
Your step-by-step action plan
No rush and no pressure - but a little order helps. Applying is always free.
First
Get a free toxic-exposure screening
Ask at your VA health facility or call MyVA411 at 1-800-698-2411.
Lock in your date
File an Intent to File
VA Form 21-0966 sets your start date so back pay can reach back to that day while you gather records.
Gather
Pull your service and medical records
Your DD-214, a list of where and when you served, and any diagnoses.
File the claim
Submit VA Form 21-526EZ
File online at va.gov, by mail, or with free accredited help. Never pay an upfront fee for an initial claim.
Who to call & where to go
These are free, official VA lines. Have your Social Security number handy when you call.
VA Benefits Hotline
Compensation, pension, and general claim questions.
Rather have us handle it?
No phone tag, no hold music. Call our office and a real, VA-accredited person walks you through it - start to finish.
702-992-4883Download the forms
Not sure where to start?
File a disability claim (VA Form 21-526EZ). If you were denied before for a condition that is now presumptive, file a Supplemental Claim so the VA reviews it under the new rules.
More benefits for veterans
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