Mankato Free Press
By Brian Arola
Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Denis McDonough, the U.S. secretary of veterans affairs, highlighted expanded health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals while touring Mankato’s VA clinic Monday.
The visit came after Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act into law in 2022. The law made more health conditions — presumed to be caused by exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances — eligible for VA care.
Veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, to name a few of the countries included, could be eligible for care under the expansion, McDonough said.
“Please file a claim,” he said as encouragement to veterans. “We’ll get you the care and the benefits that you’ve earned.”
He credited Klobuchar with fighting to expand the benefits for years leading up to the act’s passage. The U.S. Senate approved the law, standing for “Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins,” by a 84-14 margin.
Although there’s no deadline to apply for PACT Act benefits, Klobuchar and McDonough noted claims or intents to file submitted by Aug. 9 would enable eligible veterans to benefits backdated to Aug. 10, 2022.
“We want the whole state to know that this deadline is coming up,” Klobuchar said. “It doesn’t mean you can’t file later; it’s just going to really help you get better and quicker benefits.”
Data from the VA showed 353,743 veterans or survivors of veterans completed PACT Act related claims between Aug. 10, 2022-July 1, 2023. About 79% of claims received approvals.
Another 391,834 PACT Act claims are pending, according to the data. The four most frequent medical conditions cited on PACT Act claims are hypertensive vascular disease, allergic rhinitis, maxillary sinusitis and bronchial asthma.
Veterans can seek help filing their claims from the VA itself or their local county veterans service office. McDonough said he recently recognized Blue Earth County’s Michael McLaughlin as one of the leading veterans service officers in the country.
Known as the Lyle C. Pearson Community Based Outpatient Clinic, Mankato’s VA moved from 1961 Premier Drive to a larger space at 1400 Madison Ave. in Madison East Center earlier this year.
The new location enabled the clinic to expand services, including adding physical therapy and women’s health care. The local clinic is also now fully staffed by VA medical providers, whereas before some were providing care on contract.
So many of Minnesota’s veterans are in Greater Minnesota, Klobuchar said, and Mankato’s successful clinic is a tribute to that. She thanked McDonough, originally from Stillwater, for choosing Mankato first in his work to promote PACT Act benefits.
McDonough and Klobuchar’s time in Mankato included a meeting with VA clinic staff before a visit to Albert Lea’s VA. One of the most acute needs identified at VAs in rural areas is more health care providers, McDonough said.
“It remains a challenge to make sure that we can have all the health care providers that we need here,” he said. “So the number one thing we need is health providers to work with us here at VA.”
VA providers don’t need to clear their medical decisions through insurance companies, he noted, they get to make their decisions on “behalf of the heroes who have served.”
