LVMAC Tidbit: VA Adds Three More Cancers to the Presumptive List

Crescendo of Presumptive Conditions Continues Since the Passage of the PACT Act

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it is including three new cancer types in the list of presumed service-connected disabilities due to military environmental exposure under the PACT Act.

Through a sub-regulatory policy letter published to the Federal Register and as a result of a special task force established under the Act, the following three cancer types have been included in the list of presumptive diseases:

• Male breast cancer.
• Urethral cancer.
• Cancer of the paraurethral glands.

This policy establishes presumptions of service connection for eligible Gulf War and post-9/11 Veterans who deployed to Afghanistan, Somalia, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan, and the entire Southwest Asia theater of operations, which includes Iraq. The establishment of a presumptive service connection means VA will automatically assume service connection for the disease and provide benefits to eligible military veterans who have submitted claims with evidence of a diagnosis. (See a one of our local county director of veterans affairs or an AMVET, American Legion, DAV, VFW, VVA accredited claims service officers.)

For the record, any veteran who currently has or previously had one of the listed cancers at any time during military service or after separation may be entitled to disability compensation benefits dated back to Aug. 10, 2022 [for that compensation], the date the PACT Act was signed into law. The VA will review all claims from impacted Veterans and survivors who previously filed and were denied for these three conditions on or after Aug. 10, 2022, to determine if benefits can now be granted. Veterans enrolled in VA health care can obtain cancer screening and treatment at VA, which recently announced measures for the expansion of cancer care services closer to where a veteran lives.  For more information about VA cancer care, visit cancer.va.gov.

Veterans and survivors can apply or learn more about the PACT Act by visiting VA.gov/PACT or by calling 1-800-MYVA411. There is no charge to file a claim with VA. For formal assistance with the disability claims process, LVMAC encourages you to work with a VA-accredited representative.

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As of 14 June 2024