Veterans Town Hall and PACT Act Claims Deadline Highlight Busy Week at St. Cloud VA

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud VA Health Care System is hosting a virtual town hall Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. via phone and Microsoft Teams online.

To log in, click here. If you call in, dial 872-701-0185 and use access code 651 047 753#. St. Cloud VA Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable says the session won’t focus on anything specifically, but executives will be interacting with participants, and it is a great way for issues to be addressed.

He says, “The simple purpose of the town hall meeting is to hear from and have any concerns addressed by VA officials and all of these town halls are always attended by the medical center leadership.”

There is also a women’s health focus group inside Building 96 earlier in the day, which will be held in person. You are encouraged to RSVP ahead of time, but people are allowed to show up at noon when it starts.

Mid-week represents an important deadline for PACT Act claims, according to Venable.

“Those veterans who are eligible to file a PACT Act claim, if they file a claim or submit an intent to file a claim by Wednesday, August 9, if those claims are granted, then they will be backdated — the benefits will be backdated to August 10, 2022,” he says.

That is the date when the legislation was signed into law by President Joe Biden after overwhelmingly passing the United States House and Senate. The PACT Act applies to troops exposed to toxic substances from Vietnam through the post-9/11 era in the Middle East. It includes Agent Orange and the burn pits.

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