The PACT Act, the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. VA calls it perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in its history, and it is here to stay: veterans and survivors can file at any time.
Brielle Robinson, daughter of the late Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, for whom the PACT Act is named, at its signing, Aug. 10, 2022. (Official White House photo by Erin Scott, public domain)
What the law changed
- Expanded VA health care eligibility for veterans with toxic exposures and veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras.
- Added 20+ presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic exposures.
- Added presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation.
- Requires a toxic exposure screening for every veteran enrolled in VA health care.
Enroll in VA health care now
You can enroll without applying for disability benefits first if you meet the basic service and discharge requirements and you served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other combat zone after 9/11; deployed in support of the Global War on Terror; or were exposed to toxins or other hazards during service at home or abroad.
Presumptive conditions
With a presumptive condition, you do not have to prove your service caused it. For Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans, presumptive cancers include brain cancer, glioblastoma, kidney cancer, melanoma, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma of any type, and gastrointestinal, head, neck, reproductive, and respiratory cancers of any type. Presumptive illnesses include asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, chronic rhinitis and sinusitis, emphysema, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and sarcoidosis.
Vietnam-era veterans
The law added high blood pressure (hypertension) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) as Agent Orange presumptive conditions, along with new presumptive locations: U.S. or Royal Thai bases in Thailand (Jan. 9, 1962–June 30, 1976), Laos (Dec. 1, 1965–Sept. 30, 1969), Mimot or Krek in Cambodia (April 16–30, 1969), Guam or American Samoa and their waters (Jan. 9, 1962–July 31, 1980), and Johnston Atoll (Jan. 1, 1972–Sept. 30, 1977).
Denied before? File again
If VA denied your claim in the past and now presumes your condition, file a Supplemental Claim; you do not need to wait for VA to contact you. Survivors may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Every enrolled veteran gets a toxic exposure screening, with a follow-up at least once every five years, so ask about it at your next VA appointment.
Presumed Burn-Pit Exposure
- On or after Aug. 2, 1990: Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, or the UAE
- On or after Sept. 11, 2001: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, or Yemen
- Also: The airspace above any of these locations
Source: VA.gov, “The PACT Act and your VA benefits” (last updated June 2, 2026).