Biden to meet military families in Utah on anniversary of PACT Act

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden will meet with veterans and military families in Utah Thursday to highlight the ongoing impact of legislation he signed one year ago that expanded health benefits to hundreds of thousands of veterans injured by toxins while on active duty.

Biden will mark the first anniversary of the bipartisan PACT Act in a speech at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City, the White House announced in a statement.

During his remarks, Biden will emphasize veteran healthcare rights as a critical component of his legislative agenda, and point to his administration's continuing commitment to provide health protections to more than 340,000 toxic veterans across the country.

"President Biden believes that our nation has a sacred obligation to properly prepare and equip the troops we send into harm's way -- and to care for them and their families when they return home," the White House said.

The statement acknowledged that military service sometimes results in increased health risks for veterans, as well as a higher rate of long-term illnesses like asthma and cancer, which could also take years to diagnose.

"These realities can make it difficult for veterans to establish a direct connection between their service and disabilities resulting from military environmental exposures," the White House said, adding that the law was working to eliminate barriers that veterans faced previously for adequate health care.

The PACT law, which stands for Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, was named in honor of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, a decorated Army combat medic who died from a rare form of lung cancer.

As part of the day's events, the Department of Veterans Affairs will release state-by-state data showing a record number of health claims made under PACT in the past year, the White House said.

Over the past year, the law has provided more than $1.85 billion in health benefits to veteran survivors, while prioritizing care for those with cancer

The law has also led to increased toxicity screenings nationwide, with 4.1 million veterans getting free exposure checkups that work to spot potential life-threatening health conditions in the early stages.

Delivering benefits to veterans and their survivors: Over the past year, VA has delivered more than $1.85 billion in earned PACT Act-related benefits to veterans and their survivors. VA is delivering these benefits to veterans at the fastest rate in history,

Since the law was enacted, the VA has processed more than 1.65 million veteran claims in the past fiscal year -- which was 16% more than the previous all-time record. The administration has also accepted 458,659 PACT Act claims in the past year.

At the same time, the VA has boosted hiring to extend additional services to veterans, such as job placement, mental health care, and legal and financial support.

The administration was also working to eliminate the typical delays that veterans encounter when waiting for benefits.

In June, Biden signed an executive order to increase employment assistance to military caregivers, including a wide range of job support initiatives as active-duty spouses faced 21% unemployment across the nation.