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VA holding town hall in Louisville Tuesday for veterans who may have suffered toxic exposure
Comedian and activist Jon Stewart hugs Rosie Torres,?wife of veteran Le Roy Torres who suffers from illnesses related to his exposure to burn pits in Iraq, after the Senate passed the PACT Act at the U.S. Capitol August 2. Demonstrators from veterans-rights groups including the Wounded Warrior Project, Burn Pit 360 and the American Legion, had stood outside the Capitol Building in protest calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the PACT Act, a bill to expand health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Veterans who may have been exposed to a toxic substance while serving in the military and their survivors can learn about new benefits at a town hall in Louisville on Tuesday.
The town hall will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. ET Dec. 13 at the Louisville VA Medical Center, 800 Zorn Avenue.
A new law called the?PACT Act will benefit millions of veterans of the Vietnam War, Gulf War and post-9/11 eras who were exposed to toxic fumes, burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation and other environmental hazards. Survivors of toxic-exposed-veterans — and veterans who served in specific countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia — are also potentially eligible, according to a news release from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
During the week of Dec. 10 to 17, more than 90 VA facilities around the country will be holding in-person town halls to provide information on what this ?law could mean for veterans and their family members.
Veterans in attendance can get help enrolling in VA health care or applying for VA benefits. The VA advises: Just bring any paperwork you have, like your DD214 or other military paperwork.
Veterans and their survivors can also visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more about the PACT Act. VA benefits ?and claims representatives will also be in attendance to answer your disability and compensation questions
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