Special VA Benefits Enrollment Open for Veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud VA Health Care System is holding a special enrollment period for veterans who served in combat zones.

Now through September 30th, soldiers deployed to combat zones who are not enrolled in the VA, and left active duty between September 11th, 2001 and October 1st, 2013, are eligible to enroll into VA health care. The open period gives vets who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other combat zones a chance to enlist directly without first applying for VA disability benefits.

Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable told KNSI’s Bob Hughes that once vets are enrolled, they’re all set. “Once eligible, this special eligibility will translate into a lifetime of health care benefits.”

The special enrollment is a part of the 2022 PACT Act, a new law that expands health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. Venable says the law is making a difference. “It’s my impression that across the nation, we have found hundreds of thousands of veterans who have discovered that they have benefits that they were previously not taking advantage of. And that’s a wonderful thing.”

Call the St. Cloud VA directly at 320-255-6340 or follow the link to apply.

Although the deadline was written for a specific group of vets, the VA says many others can enroll directly without first applying for benefits. That includes many Vietnam vets, Gulf War vets, and veterans who deployed to a combat zone and transitioned out of the service less than ten years ago.

___