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Filing a Burn Pit Benefits Claim Under PACT Act 2022
On August 10, 2022, President Biden signed the PACT Act into law, expanding VA compensation for veterans, family members, and caregivers who have developed illness due to burn pit fumes, environmental toxins, and radiation.
Learn more about your eligibility to file.
If you would like to talk to one of our experienced VA disability attorneys at no charge to you, call our office at (888) 878-9350 today.
Filing a Burn pit benefits claim under pact act 2022
On August 10, 2022, President Biden signed the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (PACT Act) into law, expanding VA compensation for veterans, family members, and caregivers impacted by exposure to burn pits and other toxic substances.
Under the PACT Act, Gulf War veterans and others who have developed an illness due to exposure to burn pits, environmental toxins, and radiation are now filing VA claims to collect financial compensation and health care benefits.
Who Can File for Burn Pits Benefits?
Any veteran who meets the following two
requirements will be eligible to file a burn pit toxic
exposure claim under the PACT Act:
-
1
Meets the service period and location requirements, and
-
2
Diagnosed with a health condition on the VA presumptive burn pit exposure list.
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Burn Pit Service Periods and Locations
To be eligible for burn pit benefits under the PACT Act, you must have lived or worked in certain locations during certain dates. The PACT Act has expanded the date and location requirements to include the following:
Those serving in active military, Air Force, or Navy on or
after September 11, 2001, in (or in the airspace above):
- Syria
- Lebanon
- Uzbekistan
- Jordan
- Egypt
- Yemen
- Djibouti
- Afghanistan
Those serving in active military, Air Force, or Navy on or
after August 2, 1990, in (or in the airspace above):
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- Iraq
- Qatar
- Oman
- Kuwait
- United Arab Emirates
- Bahrain
Those eligible to collect financial compensation and VA health care benefits include former military members, family members, and caregivers who developed health conditions listed on the burn pit presumptive list.
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Health Conditions on the Burn Pit Exposure List
Open-air burn pits were employed throughout the Gulf War to dispose of waste products, including food waste, medical waste, metal, aluminum, human waste, paint, munitions, chemicals, unexploded ordinance, lubricants, petroleum, Styrofoam, plastic, wood, and rubber. The chemicals and fumes released by these burn pits include particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dioxins, furans, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Those who worked and lived in the vicinity unavoidably inhaled the airborne particulate matter and toxic smoke emitted from these burn pits, leading to the development of various cancers, respiratory conditions, and skin conditions.
In August 2021, VA reported scientific evidence associating the development of respiratory conditions with inhalation of burn pit airborne particulates. In April 2022, VA officials found a “biological plausibility between airborne hazards and carcinogenesis of the respiratory tract,” add that “the unique circumstances of these rare cancers warrant a presumption of service connection.”
With the advent of the PACT Act, the VA now presumptively
connects 23 health conditions with burn pit exposure. The VA
burn pit presumptive list includes:
- Tracheal cancer
- Sarcoidosis
- Salivary gland carcinomas
- Respiratory cancer
- Reproductive cancer
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Pleuritis
- Pancreatic cancer
- Neck cancer
- Melanoma
- Lymphoma
- Lymphatic cancer
- Lung sarcomatoid carcinoma
- Lung cancer
- Laryngeal cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
- Head cancer
- Granulomatous disease
- Glioblastoma
- Gastrointestinal cancer
- Emphysema
- Constructive bronchiolitis / obliterative bronchiolitis
- Chronic sinusitis
- Chronic rhinitis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic bronchitis
- Brain cancer
- Asthma
NOTE: This VA burn pit presumptive list does not include all eligible burn pit health conditions. If your health condition is not on the list and you were exposed to burn pit toxins, contact us online or call 888.878.9350 to learn whether you qualify for financial compensation.
How Do I File For Burn Pit Compensation?
If you or a loved one developed health problems associated with burn pit toxin exposure, we are currently analyzing cases for burn pit VA claims under the PACT Act.
Unlike personal injury law firms that dabble in VA law, the Gang & Associates attorneys specialize in preparing burn pit toxin cases. We’ve assisted hundreds of U.S. veterans in collecting burn pit toxin exposure benefits for over a decade.
Our vital understanding of the medical and legal evidence required to prove burn pit exposure as a cause of health conditions—even those not listed on the VA burn pit presumptive list—can mean faster payouts and maximized recovery amounts. Contact a Burn Pit Toxin Exposure attorney today by using the online form or calling 888.878.9350.