With the recent enactment of the PACT Toxic Exposure Act, the Veteran’s Administration has listed some locations and criteria for claims of presumptive illness/ conditions, divided into two categories:
1. If you served on or after Sept. 11, 2001, in any of these locations: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, Yemen and the airspaces above them.
2. If you served on or a_er Aug. 2, 1990, in any of these locations: Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Thee United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the airspaces above them.
The omission of any reference to Naval operations “in the waters of…” causes some concern. Some will recall the plight of the “Blue Water Navy” Vietnam veterans who suered many of the same illnesses and conditions of Agent Orange exposure but were denied treatment and benefits. This inequity was just resolved in 2020 after many veterans had suffered for decades and many already passed away. I have heard a few Navy vets griping about how they got “dusted off” by sandstorms far out to sea. Let’s hope this sad chapter is not repeated — there is no excuse for it.
Get Connected: The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a program run by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to help lowincome households pay for internet service and connected devices like a laptop or tablet. One of the eligible categories listed is Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit. It appears there is also a maximum income level, however, if you currently qualify for the Lifeline Phone benefit, you probably qualify for this program as well. For more information, please see https://bit.ly/3pCr62o.
Veterans Suicide Prevention — an additional Resource: The Florida Department of Veterans Affairs has come up with its own program to help prevent suicide among Florida veterans. The initiative, called the Florida Governor’s Challenge, seeks to partner with other agencies and individual volunteers to “change the mental health narrative” when it comes to preventing veteran suicide. Individuals can volunteer for the Watch Stander program, which involves watching some training videos and asks for people to become “ambassadors” for veterans suicide prevention. Currently, there are 10,000+ community volunteers active at the time, according to the FDVA website, and the total time for training is about 45 minutes. For more information, please see https://bit.ly/3T7ZgbV.
VA Tele-health Help: The Orlando VA Health Care System has opened its new Virtual Health Resource Center (VHRC), located in the business center of the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona. Veterans, family members and caregivers can speak with a tele-health clinical technician to determine which virtual care options might be best suited for their needs. A tele-health clinical technician expert is available to provide hands-on orientation and training to Veterans on VA Video Connect (VVC), VA Mobile apps, and the MyHealthVet website. The center is open for walk-ins Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also reach VHRC by phone at 407-631-1485 during the same hours.
