NASHUA, N.H. (WCAX) – President Joe Biden visited the Granite State on Tuesday to talk about the PACT Act.
The law expanded medical coverage for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in war zones overseas.
Channel 3 News first told you about these burn pits, which are open-air trash fires that burn all day and all night. Our investigation highlighted how the Defense Department and Veteran’s Affairs denied burn pit exposure claims for years.
That was until Congress passed and the president signed the PACT Act, allowing veterans to enroll directly in VA health care.
“I do think the PACT Act is working as it should. There’s, there’s a massive increase in, uh, veterans that have access to healthcare through the VA,” said Biden.
The VA says it’s received more than 1.6 million PACT Act-related claims and urges veterans who may have been denied benefits before the law was signed to contact them or reapply.
The VA says the approval rate for benefits is about 75% and adds it’s currently processing claims at its fastest rate.