New presumptive conditions added to the PACT ACT

New presumptive conditions have been added to the PACT Act under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The PACT Act covers veterans who served in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Uzbekistan after Sept. 11, 2001. For those who have served in any of these areas during the specified time period, these are called “presumptive conditions.”

The new PACT Act presumptive conditions are:

• Acute and chronic leukemia
• Multiple myelomas (a blood cancer)
• Myelodysplastic syndrome (preleukemia)
• Myelofibrosis (a blood cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow)
• Urinary bladder, urethral, and genitourinary cancers

The 23 conditions of the PACT Act already approved by the VA:  

Respiratory Conditions

• Asthma diagnosed after service
• Chronic bronchitis
• COPD
• Chronic rhinitis
• Chronic sinusitis
• Constructive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis
• Emphysema
• Granulomatous
• Interstitial lung disease
• Pleuritis
• Pulmonary Fibrosis
• Sarcoidosis

Cancers

• Brain cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancer (esophageal, stomach, colon, and rectal)
• Glioblastoma
• Head cancer (includes oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx)
• Kidney cancer
• Lymphatic cancer
• Lymphoma (incudes Hodgkins and Non-Hodgkins lymphomas)
• Melanoma
• Neck cancer
• Pancreatic
• Reproductive (breast, ovarian, and prostate)

All that is needed to prove the claim is a copy of your DD 214 showing service in the specified areas and a current diagnosis.

If you have been treated at a military medical facility or a VA hospital or clinic, you do not have to attach any medical documentation. If you have been treated by a private doctor, you must specify where you were treated at.

For more information, contact the Coryell County Veterans Officer Richard W. Smith at 254-248-0676 or vso1@coryellcountytx.gov