As of 2024, the PACT Act that came about in 2022 as signed by President Biden has been expanded by the VA to ensure that more Veterans than ever receive the healthcare they deserve. Now, Veterans can receive VA healthcare earlier than PACT Act originally allowed in its original framework. The VA made the decision to adjust their incrementally based approach offering healthcare to Veterans by creating a more blanketed approach to all those who may qualify for care under TERA.
Who Qualifies for TERA?
Any Veteran who served in Iraq, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, the Vietnam War, the Global War on Terror, or any other location of combat after 9/11 is eligible to receive VA healthcare through TERA. As long as the Veteran served a minimum of the 24 months of continuous duty, they remain eligible.
While the focus of TERA may seem to be on zones of combat due to extreme levels of toxicity in these areas that affected our Veterans, the extended care does not stop at just those individuals, but also applies to our Veterans who worked within other areas of our military handling the toxic chemicals and systems.
An important aspect of TERA is that its goal is to provide more healthcare to Veterans than ever before, and this begins by offering care to Veterans without requiring they already be receiving VA benefits.
The expansion not only applies to those who were affected during active duty, but also as inactive or active duty training.
According to the VA, these conditions or hazards are covered under TERA:
How to Apply
To take advantage of your eligibility for more VA healthcare, you can visit online at VA.gov/PACT. There is also a phone number to call if you would prefer to speak over the phone about your healthcare options: 1-800-MYVA411