Newsletters
Vital Resources for Veterans and their Families
Washington,
May 18, 2023
Dear Friend, Supporting our service members does not stop once they leave the military. Last year, I voted for the Honoring Our PACT Act, which will help as many as 3.5 million veterans receive treatment for respiratory illnesses and cancers related to burn pits. This legislation was signed into law in August 2022, so please continue reading to learn how you or your loved ones can get help from this law. The Department of Veterans Affairs will now honor claims for the 23 new conditions and cancers included in the PACT Act. The following conditions and cancers are considered presumptive conditions that do not require an in-service connection for VA claim approval:
The Honoring Our PACT Act will help our veterans receive the life-saving care that they deserve. The law also includes my amendment to create a centralized, public website for all federally-funded research on war-related illness and injury. If you believe you or a loved one is eligible for the PACT Act’s strengthened benefits, you can visit www.va.gov/pact for more information. I am proud that California is already doing the work to leave no veteran behind. The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVets) is committed to helping our state’s over 1.8 million veterans get both the state and federal benefits they earned – including those available under the PACT Act. CalVets’s many services include physical and mental health care, college degree programs and job training, assistance with filing VA claims, and more. You can visit www.calvet.ca.gov/veteran-services-benefits to access the full list of benefits. As your member of Congress, I have fought to improve VA health care, increase access to GI Bill benefits, and protect veterans and military families from financial scams. In March 2022, I was honored to join the Orange County Veterans and Military Families Collaborative to discuss the ways we can improve the lives of military families. I secured increased funding for the Governor’s Challenge, a vital program that aims to reduce military and veteran suicides by helping states get servicemembers, veterans, and military families the mental health care they need. I was also proud to work across the aisle with Rep. Michelle Steel to introduce the Driving Veterans Success Act, which would require that at least 10 percent of the Department of Transportation’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contracts are awarded to veteran-owned small businesses. I will continue my work to improve the lives of our veterans.
Representative Katie Porter |
