Warner & Kaine Celebrate Two-Year Anniversary of Bipartisan Bill That Expanded Benefits for Toxic-Exposed Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of tomorrow’s two-year anniversary of the enactment of the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, (both D-VA) released the following statements celebrating its successes. The senators helped pass the legislation to expand health care and resources for toxic-exposed veterans under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and authorize a new community-based outpatient clinic in Hampton Roads.

“In the two years since we passed the PACT Act, countless veterans have been screened for toxic exposure and enrolled in care – saving lives and saving veteran families money,” said Warner. “I’m proud to have passed one of the largest expansions of benefits for veterans in history, but I know our work isn’t done. I look forward to continuing to press ahead to make sure that more veterans have comprehensive benefits, convenient access to VA clinics, and superlative health care.”

“Our veterans have made immense sacrifices while serving to keep us safe. We owe it to them to ensure they have access to the benefits they’ve earned,” said Kaine. “I am proud to have helped pass the PACT Act into law to help veterans exposed to toxic materials during their service get critical care. I will continue to advocate for servicemembers and veterans in my role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.”

Since the enactment of this landmark legislation two years ago, more than one million PACT Act-related claims have been granted to veterans and survivors across the nation. As of May of this year, the PACT Act has additionally been delivering for the nation by:

• Screening veterans for toxic exposures: More than 5.4 million veterans have received free screenings for toxic exposures from the VA under the PACT Act.
• Delivering benefits to veterans and their survivors: The VA has delivered more than $5.7 billion in earned PACT Act-related benefits to veterans and their survivors. The VA is delivering these benefits to veterans at the fastest rate in history.
• Prioritizing veterans with cancer: The VA has delivered nearly $637 million in PACT Act benefits to veterans with cancer.
• Spreading the word to veterans and their survivors: As of this past May, veterans and survivors have submitted 4.17 million total claims since the passage of the PACT Act.
• Increasing VA’s capacity to serve veterans: Because of new PACT Act authorities, the VA has been able to expand its workforce in order to serve veterans as quickly and effectively as possible. In total, both the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits administration have achieved their highest growth rates in 20 years.
• Eliminating benefits delays for veterans: Instead of phasing in conditions over several years, all conditions in the PACT Act are presumptive for benefits as of August 10, 2022, the day the bill was signed into law. This expedited the timeline for veterans to receive their earned care and benefits by several years.
• Accelerating health care eligibility for veterans: Thanks to new PACT Act eligibility, more than 145,000 veterans have newly enrolled in VA Health Care since August 10, 2022.

Warner and Kaine have long supported expanding health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxins and burn pits during their service. The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Kaine helped craft as a member of SASC and both senators voted for, included provisions to expand the VA’s list of medical conditions associated with Agent Orange exposure. Warner and Kaine also cosponsored legislation that was signed into law in 2019 to extend VA coverage to veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange while stationed off the coast of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The bill also extended these benefits to servicemembers exposed to herbicides while serving in the Korean Demilitarized Zone and to children of servicemembers stationed in Thailand who were born with spina bifida. Virginia is home to more than 700,000 veterans.

Earlier this year, Kaine secured key provisions in the Senate Armed Services Committee-passed Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including $4 million to establish the Defense Intrepid Network for Traumatic Brain Injury and Brain Health to provide clinical care to prevent, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate servicemembers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptoms from blast overpressure or blast exposure, and other mental health conditions. Kaine also wrote to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request a review of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) efforts to identify, prevent, and treat traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) related to servicemembers’ exposure to blast overpressure. In February, Kaine raised concerns about blast overpressure and asked experts how the U.S. could learn from other nations about how to prevent and treat TBIs during a SASC Personnel Subcommittee hearing. In April, he introduced bipartisan legislation to mitigate and protect servicemembers from blast overpressure.

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