The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced Friday that the PACT Act has increased enrollment in the country’s health care system by 30 percent over the past year.
The department announced that more than 401,000 veterans have enrolled in the VA Health Care System in the past 365 days. In the first year of the newly expanded program, 340,000 veterans had their PACT Act claims approved.
“This is VS’s highest annual enrollment in at least the past five years and represents a nearly 50 percent increase compared to 2020’s pandemic-level enrollment,” the release states.
The PACT Act, signed into law by President Biden in 2022, was intended to be the largest expansion of veterans benefits in decades. This law was intended to expand benefits to former military personnel who were exposed to toxins during the war and suffered illnesses as a result.
More than 4.1 million toxic exposure tests were conducted in the first year after the law was signed, but the Biden administration also dealt with resource strains and delays getting aid into the hands of veterans. .
Texas has the largest number of people enrolled in the health care system, with 41,287 people enrolled to receive benefits, the Veterans Administration said Friday. California enrolled 33,468 students and Florida enrolled 32,712.
The department said it conducted the “most aggressive outreach campaign in history” by hosting events, running millions of dollars in advertising and using public service announcements to reach veterans with access to health care.
“What we want is every Veterans are eligible to enroll in VA health care for a simple reason. Because veterans who come to VA are proven to be healthier and earn less than those who don’t,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Dennis McDonough said in a statement.
Approximately 693,000 veterans have been upgraded to priority groups, meaning their out-of-pocket costs have been lowered since the PACT Act was passed, according to VA.
McDonough said VA support has “led to more veterans enrolling in VA health care than in any year in at least the last 10 years, and we’re continuing to do so.”
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