COMPACT Act (Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment)
The COMPACT Act covers Veterans in acute suicidal crisis to go to a VA or community health care facility to receive free emergency health care – including ambulance transportation costs – and be eligible for inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days, including social work.
The West Palm Beach VA wants all Veterans and former service members to know that they can get the emergency suicide care they need, when they need it, no matter where they are AND may be eligible for these service at no cost.
Eligible COMPACT individuals, regardless of VA enrollment status, are:
– Those who were discharged or released from active duty after more than 24 months of active service under conditions other than dishonorable.
– Former members of the armed forces, including reserve service members, who served more than 100 days under a combat exclusion or in support of a contingency operation either directly or by operating an unmanned aerial vehicle from another location who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
– Former members of the armed forces who were the victim of a physical assault of a sexual nature, a battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment while serving in the armed forces.
For more information, visit Emergency Medical Care – Community Care: Getting Emergency Care At Non-VA Facilities | Veterans Affairs or call the Customer Service Center at 877-881-7618.
PACT Act (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics)
The PACT Act is a law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.
This law helps us provide generations of Veterans—and their survivors—with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve. VA recently announced that all Veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving our country at home or abroad are now eligible for VA health care.
If a Veteran served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, or Afghanistan, deployed to any combat zone after 9/11, deployed in support of the Global War on Terror – health care benefits are at the service of America’s heroes waiting to be used.
But VA did not stop there – Even if Veterans never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or serving on active duty here at home or abroad – by working with chemicals, pesticides, lead, asbestos, certain paints, nuclear weapons, x-rays, and more – they can enroll, too.
Veterans do not need to be sick or file a claim; all you need to do is show that you served in one of those locations or operations – or participated in one of the activities that could have exposed you to toxins or hazards.
Better, more affordable health care is waiting for Veterans.
For more information, visit VA.gov/PACT to learn more and call (561) 422-VETS (8387) get started.
