Montana VA Surpasses 35,000 Toxic Exposure Screenings

Staff and wire report

Montana VA Health Care System recently passed the 35,000 mark for Toxic Exposure Screenings given to Montana Veterans.

Toxic exposure screenings provide Veterans with the medical verification that they need to gain full access to health care and benefits under the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.

The PACT Act was signed into law on August 10, 2022, and expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. The law helps the VA provide generations of Veterans—and their survivors—with the care and benefits they have earned and deserve. Currently, the Montana VA Health Care System has provided screenings to 73 percent of enrolled Veterans.

“This is a tremendous milestone for our Veterans,” said Executive Director Duane Gill. “The PACT Act has expanded benefits for Veterans. Every Montana Veteran deserves access to these expanded benefits, and these screenings are the first step in getting them the benefits they have earned.”

Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Chair Jon Tester, D-Mont ,. who sponsored the bill with Ranking Member Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and helped spearhead its passage, praised the testing milestone.

“We fought alongside veterans to get the PACT Act passed to ensure every Montanan exposed to toxins during their military service gets the health care and benefits they were promised,” he told Havre Weekly Chronicle. “I’m encouraged to see Montana VA has screened 35,000 veterans for toxic exposures, a step toward receiving their earned PACT Act benefits. And I’ll keep pressing VA to continue to implement the law in a way that benefits Montana veterans and honors their service.”

Tester is running for re-election and faces Republican Tim Sheehy in the November general election.

The Veterans Health Administration recommends that all enrolled Veterans should receive the screening and should get one at least once every five years. Veterans can visit http://www.va.gov/PACT for more information.

Montana VA Health Care System serves over 49,000 enrolled veterans across Montana—an area roughly 147,000 square miles in size. Veterans are cared for by a staff of 1,400 at 18 sites of care across the state. One third of Montana VA employees are veterans.