More than a million U.S. veterans have received benefits through the PACT Act, President Joe Biden announced during a visit to New Hampshire on Tuesday.

The president signed the bipartisan bill into law almost two years ago to expand health care services and benefits to service members who were exposed to environmental toxins while deployed. 

What You Need To Know

  • More than a million U.S. veterans and survivors have received benefits through the PACT Act

  • President Biden signed the bipartisan PACT Act into law in 2022 to expand health care services and benefits to service members who were exposed to enviornmental toxins while deployed

  • The most common toxic exposures are burn pits and Agent Orange

  • The VA grants PACT Act benefits to about 75% of those who apply to the program

"America has a lot of obligations but only one sacred obligation, and that's to prepare those we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they come home," President Biden said at a veterans event in New Hampshire Tuesday. "And if they don't come home, care for their families."

In March, the Department of Veterans Affairs opened up eligibility for the act’s benefits and services to all former service members who were exposed to toxins while in the military. The benefits were not scheduled to take effect until 2034.

The president said the VA has provided more than $5.7 billion in earned benefits to veterans in all 50 states and U.S. territories, including 34,000 in California, 44,000 in Georgia and 110,000 in Texas.

The VA grants PACT Act benefits and services to about 75% of those who apply to the program. It has also provided about 5 million vets with toxic exposure screenings, 43% of whom reported having at least one exposure. Through the act, about 145,000 veterans have been able to enroll in healthcare.

"Too many service members have not only braved the battlefield, they also breathed in toxic fumes from burn pits and other means," Biden said, adding that burn pits are as big as a football field and "incinerate all the wastes of war from tires to chemicals to jet fuel."

The most common conditions veterans are treated for through the PACT Act include allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, hypertension, sinusitis and genital and urinary conditions, according to the VA.

"You shouldn't have to prove that your illness came from your service," Biden said. "Thanks to the PACT Act, you don't have to prove it now."

About 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to radiation, toxic fragments, hazardous materials and other toxic substances while in service, according to the VA. The most common exposures are burn pits and Agent Orange.