Who qualifies: Veterans who served in the Gulf War, post-9/11 locations, Vietnam-era Agent Orange areas, certain radiation cleanups, or Camp Lejeune, plus some survivors and family members.
What it is
For decades, veterans who got sick after burn pits, Agent Orange or other toxins had to prove the link themselves. That was hard and often impossible. The PACT Act, signed in 2022, changed that for many people.
The big idea is presumptive conditions. If you served in a covered place at a covered time and you have a covered illness, VA assumes your service caused it. You don't need a doctor to prove the link.
Burn pits and other airborne hazards
For Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans, VA now presumes many conditions are tied to service, including:
- Cancers such as brain, head and neck, respiratory, gastrointestinal, kidney, pancreatic, reproductive cancers, lymphoma, melanoma and glioblastoma.
- Breathing illnesses such as asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, chronic sinusitis and rhinitis, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis and others.
Covered places include Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the UAE on or after Aug. 2, 1990, and Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan and Yemen on or after Sept. 11, 2001. The airspace above these places counts too.
Agent Orange
The PACT Act added high blood pressure and MGUS (a blood condition) to the Agent Orange list. It also added new places, including Thailand bases (1962 to 1976), Laos (Dec. 1965 to Sept. 1969), parts of Cambodia (April 1969), Guam and American Samoa (1962 to 1980), and Johnston Atoll (1972 to 1977). Vietnam service and many other Agent Orange conditions were already covered.
Camp Lejeune
If you served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987, VA presumes eight conditions are connected: adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Parkinson's disease.
VA health care also covers care for 15 conditions with no copay for these veterans. Family members who lived there for 30 days in that window may get repaid for care tied to those 15 conditions. The separate Camp Lejeune Justice Act lawsuit process runs through the Navy and the courts, not VA, and its filing deadline has passed for most new claims. Talk to a lawyer if you have questions about that.
Health care and screening
Since March 5, 2024, VA has opened health care to many more veterans who were exposed to toxins, including those who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan and other post-9/11 combat zones. You can enroll without filing for disability first. Every enrolled veteran can also get a free toxic exposure screening, and a follow-up at least every five years.
How to apply, step by step
- File an Intent to File to lock in your start date while you gather records.
- Collect proof of where you served. Your DD214, deployment orders or personnel records work.
- Get your diagnosis in writing.
- File a disability claim on VA.gov (VA Form 21-526EZ). Say you're filing for a PACT Act presumptive condition.
- Denied before? File a Supplemental Claim. The new law can count as a reason to look again.
- Apply for health care online or by calling 800-698-2411, and ask for your toxic exposure screening.
Mistakes to avoid
- Thinking it's too late. There is no deadline to file for VA benefits.
- Assuming a past denial is final. Re-file with a Supplemental Claim.
- Not claiming survivor benefits. If a veteran died from a presumptive condition, survivors may qualify for DIC.
- Paying for help you don't need. Free VSOs file PACT Act claims every day.
Related benefits
See our guides on disability compensation, decision reviews, DIC survivor benefits, VA health care, and the C&P exam.
Last reviewed November 2026. WeSpeakVA is not the VA. Rules and amounts change, so confirm on VA.gov or with an accredited representative.