{"id":61235,"date":"2022-08-04T17:32:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T17:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:28:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:28:20","slug":"now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just moments after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/08\/02\/millions-of-vets-suffering-from-burn-pit-toxic-injuries-set-for-more-benefits-after-congress-passes-pact-act\/\" target=\"_blank\">Senate finalized a military toxic exposure bill <\/a>that could benefit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/06\/16\/here-are-the-veterans-who-will-benefit-from-congress-sweeping-toxic-exposure-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\">millions of veterans<\/a>, activist John Feal issued a warning to the crowd of advocates celebrating outside the Capitol about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/03\/07\/harmless-or-hazardous-troops-say-chemicals-and-medical-waste-burned-at-balad-are-making-them-sick-but-officials-deny-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\">moment they had been lobbying for and dreaming about for years:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe hard part hasn\u2019t begun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feal \u2014 who spent years as one of the lead advocates to award federal benefits to Sept. 11 victims, first responders and their families \u2014 said work to make sure those payouts and resources are properly funded and administered continues to this day. He cautioned that even well-written bills don\u2019t always mean an easy transition to getting people the help they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGetting a bill passed is easy, you just have to beat up the Senate and the House,\u201d Feal said. \u201cThese people behind me, they have to take that and make sure Congress and the VA now do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/08\/02\/millions-of-vets-suffering-from-burn-pit-toxic-injuries-set-for-more-benefits-after-congress-passes-pact-act\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22214741466577.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Millions of vets suffering from burn pit, toxic injuries set for more benefits after Congress passes PACT Act<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Joe Biden is expected to sign the sweeping plan into law in coming days.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act \u2014 better known as the PACT Act \u2014 is set to be signed into law by President Joe Biden on Aug. 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When that happens, it will mark a key moment in the 13-year-old fight to expand benefits for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/03\/29\/what-are-military-burn-pits-and-why-are-veterans-worried-about-them\/\" target=\"_blank\">burn pit victims<\/a> sickened in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the decades-old quest to fully compensate Vietnam veterans for their exposure to chemical defoliants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, advocates say it won\u2019t be the end of their work on the issue. The next step is delivering the benefits to veterans and their families, estimated to cost around $300 billion over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White House and Veterans Affairs officials promise they have been preparing for that task for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVeterans who were exposed to toxic fumes while fighting for our country are American heroes, and they deserve world-class care and benefits for their selfless service,\u201d VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement minutes after Feal\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOnce the president signs this bill into law, we at VA will implement it quickly and effectively, delivering the care these veterans need and the benefits they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When will benefits arrive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Separate from the congressional work, VA last year began revamping how it approaches illnesses believed linked to burn pit smoke in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the past, the department stuck to strict scientific evidence before granting presumptive status for illnesses believed linked to military service. Now, the department uses a wider set of metrics to evaluate the claims, which has led to adding 12 respiratory illnesses and cancers to the list of conditions presumed caused by burn pits (a designation that greatly speeds up the process of veterans receiving disability payouts).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the PACT Act is signed into law, those new processes will be codified, a move that veterans advocates say will be key in coming years to preventing long waits for department recognition of military injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other parts of the sweeping toxic exposure legislation will also go into effect immediately. Veterans currently get five years of medical coverage through VA after leaving the service, but will see that expanded to 10 years under the new law.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/06\/16\/here-are-the-veterans-who-will-benefit-from-congress-sweeping-toxic-exposure-bill\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/201591.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here are the veterans who will benefit from Congress\u2019 sweeping toxic exposure bill<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Veterans who served in Afghanistan, the first Gulf War, Vietnam and numerous other overseas locations could see new benefits under the plan.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All veterans who left the ranks in summer 2017 or later will have their eligibility automatically extended. Veterans who left between summer 2014 and summer 2017 will be able to apply for additional years of health care coverage, ending at 10 years after the date they separated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The benefits for individual illnesses will take longer to process. The law calls for VA to add 23 new conditions to the list of burn pit presumptive illnesses \u2014 including asthma, chronic bronchitis and brain cancer \u2014 but those will be phased in over the next three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, presumptive status for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) goes into effect immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But new benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from high-blood pressure (a group estimated to be around 500,000 individuals) aren\u2019t set to go into effect until late 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are provisions in the bill to speed up benefits for individuals with deteriorating health conditions, or age 80 and older. However, as the bill is written, some veterans expecting to benefit from the PACT Act won\u2019t see any checks in the mail for another four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changing the timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White House officials said they are hoping to speed that up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe law does provide discretion to the VA secretary to move more quickly than some of the dates, so we\u2019re going to be working collaboratively to see how much we can get done as quickly as possible so that veterans can get the services they need,\u201d said Terri Tanielian, special assistant to the president for Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe department is focused on making sure that they can hire the staff that they need, that they have the resources in the right places. We\u2019re mindful of needing to make sure that the workforce and the infrastructure is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers included funding in the measure for the new hires, aware that sending millions of new benefits claims to VA in coming years has the potential to overwhelm their current systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/07\/31\/burn-pits-benefits-bill-concerns-arent-new-hinge-on-budget-moves\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1388417798.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Burn pits benefits bill concerns aren\u2019t new, hinge on budget moves<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Republicans have accused Democrats of making new changes to complicate the sweeping veterans policy measure, but the budget issues they cite have been in the bill for months.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden called on Congress to pass comprehensive burn pit legislation in his State of the Union speech last spring. Tanielian said now that it has been done, the administration is focused on making sure it meets its responsibilities to implement the measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is a major victory for veterans, their families and survivors and those that have cared for them over the years,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to the President signing it and then being able to implement it effectively so that we can deliver the health care benefits that we know veterans have earned and that they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans advocates said they\u2019ll be lobbying for quicker responses, too. The provisions regarding deteriorating health conditions are written broadly, and some veterans groups said they see opportunities to force VA to respond immediately to certain claims even if the law seems to give them more time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But much of that will depend on VA\u2019s ability to hire new staff to process claims and respond to veterans\u2019 questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The department has hired several hundred claims processors in recent months to deal with the glut of overdue disability claims (cases pending for more than four months). The figure was as high as 264,000 last fall, but now sits at about 165,000, roughly half what it was before the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/03\/29\/what-are-military-burn-pits-and-why-are-veterans-worried-about-them\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burn-pit-balad-air-base-dvids-march-2008-file-dvids.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">What are military burn pits? And why are veterans worried about them?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The fires used in combat zones to dispose of waste may have caused serious illnesses in hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apply now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Department of Defense has estimated nearly 3.5 million troops from recent wars may have suffered enough exposure to the smoke to cause health problems. Only a small portion of that group has signed up for VA\u2019s official burn pit registry, designed to help track health issues in that population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his statement on the PACT Act passage, McDonough encouraged eligible veterans to apply for benefits as soon as possible, rather than waiting on the legislation\u2019s official start date. Depending on the case, veterans may eventually be eligible for retroactive pay if they file earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans can visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/resources\/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits\/\" target=\"_blank\">department\u2019s online page regarding PACT <\/a>information or call 1-800-MyVA411 (800-698-2411).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history,\u201d the VA\u2019s benefits site states. \u201cIf you\u2019re a veteran or survivor, you can file claims now to apply for PACT Act-related benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his statement, McDonough said that department officials \u201cwill be communicating with you every step of the way to make sure that you and your loved ones get the benefits you\u2019ve earned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Feal delivered his speech to the celebrating advocates, Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., received a text from McDonough offering his congratulations on the legislative victory and promising that \u201cwe will execute this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tester said he\u2019ll hold the secretary to that promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ll be watching,\u201d he said. \u201cI know they\u2019re committed, and I know the president said we\u2019re going to get this done. But we\u2019ve got to watch them to make sure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":74209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,88,16,26,65,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3328],"class_list":["post-61235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ZOKMUNJWEZHSHAYHCTVFHFIS7Q","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/burn-pits\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits? - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-04T17:32:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T11:28:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits?\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-08-04T17:32:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T11:28:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1331,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Veterans\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits? - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-08-04T17:32:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T11:28:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/04\\\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits?\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits? - Air Force TImes","description":"Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits?","og_description":"Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2022-08-04T17:32:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T11:28:20+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits?","datePublished":"2022-08-04T17:32:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T11:28:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/"},"wordCount":1331,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/","name":"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits? - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-08-04T17:32:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T11:28:20+00:00","description":"Some portions of the sweeping veterans policy measure will go into effect as soon as it becomes law. Others will take years.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2022\/08\/04\/now-that-the-pact-act-passed-how-soon-will-veterans-see-their-benefits\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Now that PACT Act has passed, how soon will veterans see their benefits?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1242275592.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61235"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97223,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61235\/revisions\/97223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61235"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=61235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}