WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the statement below following the Department of Veterans Affairs announcement that all veterans who were exposed to toxins and hazards are eligible to enroll directly in VA Health Care. This means that all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11 will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, Veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States will also be eligible to enroll.

This announcement accelerates the phased-in approach called for by the PACT Act — meaning that millions of Veterans are becoming eligible for VA health care up to eight years early.

“It’s always been my belief that when our servicemembers and veterans signed up to serve, there was no waiting line, so when they come home, there shouldn’t be a waiting line to access the benefits they deserve,” said Klobuchar. “That is why I spent years working alongside Minnesota veterans and families to make sure veterans suffering from exposure-related illnesses could get care through the VA. This announcement will accelerate the rollout of these new benefits and allow millions of veterans who bravely served our country to receive care from the VA up to eight years earlier than previously possible.”

Senator Klobuchar has been a leader in the fight to give veterans and their families quality health care. 

In 2022, Klobuchar helped pass the Honoring our PACT Act, which expands VA health care eligibility to nearly 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances and adds 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to the VA’s list of service presumptions, covering veterans who served from Vietnam to the present.

The legislation also included the Toxic Exposure in the American Military (TEAM) Act, which she co-led with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH). Those provisions expanded the population of veterans who could receive eligibility for VA hospital care to include those who were exposed to toxic substances and radiation.

Before the PACT Act, Klobuchar led and passed several bills to help veterans with burn pits, including the Toxic Exposure Training Act, which will improve the training of VA health care and benefits personnel so they can better treat veterans exposed to burn pits and accurately process their claims. This legislation was also included in the PACT Act. 

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