(Big Sandy, Mont.) — U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today released the following statement ahead of tomorrow’s two-year anniversary of the signing of his PACT Act:

“Two summers ago, we fought alongside veterans in the sweltering August heat to finally deliver all eras of toxic-exposed veterans and their families the health care and benefits they earned with the PACT Act. Today, I’m proud to see this law is working for more than one million veterans and survivors. That includes Montana veterans like Marcus Raggio from Hamilton and survivors like Nicole Kardoes from Livingston, who said this law is giving their kids a future they deserve. Funding veterans’ health care and benefits is a cost of war we owe the men and women who served, and I’ll never stop fighting to do right by them.”

Tester championed the PACT Act and shepherded its passage through Congress in 2022. As Chairman, he fought tirelessly for years alongside veterans and Veterans Service Organizations in Montana and across the nation to deliver generations of toxic-exposed veterans and survivors their earned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits under the PACT Act. Named after Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson who died in 2020 from toxic exposure as a result of his military service, this law provides health care for Post-9/11 combat veterans; creates a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure; expands VA’s list of health conditions presumed to be caused by toxic exposures, which opens the door to additional benefits for veterans; and improves resources to support claims processing.

The PACT Act was signed into law on August 10, 2022. Two years later, more than 1.1 million toxic-exposed veterans and survivors are receiving PACT Act-related benefits, including more than 5,700 Montanans. In addition, more than 156,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care under a PACT Act enrollment authority. VA has also screened more than 5.6 million for toxic exposure-related health conditions under the PACT Act, including more than 35,000 veterans in Montana.

Continuing his push to ensure toxic-exposed veterans receive their earned care and benefits, Tester has joined toxic-exposed veterans and survivors in Billings, Kalispell, Missoula, Bozeman, and Great Falls to discuss the impact of the PACT Act on Montana veterans and to encourage more veterans to apply for the expanded health care and benefits for which they may now be eligible.

Toxic-exposed veterans and survivors can apply today for health care and benefits at VA.gov/PACT or by calling 1-800-MYVA411.