To register for PACT Act benefits, file VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File) first to lock in your earliest possible effective date, then submit VA Form 10-10EZ for healthcare enrollment, VA Form 21-526EZ for disability compensation, or both. You can file online at VA.gov, by mail, or in person at a VA medical center or regional office. Doing the Intent to File step before the full application can mean months of retroactive pay if your claim is approved.
Confirm You Qualify Before You File
The PACT Act works through “presumptive conditions.” If you served in a covered location during a covered time period and you have a qualifying diagnosis, the VA presumes your illness is connected to your service. You do not have to separately prove the link.
Covered Service Locations
For burn pit and other toxic exposures, you qualify if you served on or after August 2, 1990, in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, or the United Arab Emirates, including the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations. Service on or after September 11, 2001, in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, or Yemen (and the airspace above) also qualifies.1Veterans Affairs. Exposure to Burn Pits and Other Specific Environmental Hazards
The Act added five new presumptive locations for Agent Orange exposure: any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976; Laos from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969; Mimot or Krek in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969; Guam or American Samoa (including territorial waters) from January 9, 1962, through July 31, 1980; and Johnston Atoll (including ships that called there) from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977.2Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. The PACT Act and Your VA Benefits
Three radiation cleanup efforts are also now presumptive: Enewetak Atoll (January 1, 1977 through December 31, 1980), the coast off Palomares, Spain (January 17, 1966 through March 31, 1967), and the response to the fire near Thule Air Force Base in Greenland (January 21, 1968 through September 25, 1968).3Veterans Affairs. Ionizing Radiation Exposure
Qualifying Diagnoses
The Act added more than 20 presumptive conditions. Cancers include brain, glioblastoma, gastrointestinal, head and neck, kidney, lymphoma, melanoma, pancreatic, reproductive, and respiratory cancers of any type. Respiratory and related conditions include asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, constrictive or obliterative bronchiolitis, emphysema, granulomatous disease, interstitial lung disease, pleuritis, pulmonary fibrosis, and sarcoidosis. For Agent Orange specifically, hypertension and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) were added.2Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. The PACT Act and Your VA Benefits
File the Intent to File First
This is the step most veterans skip, and it can cost thousands of dollars. Before you complete the full application, submit VA Form 21-0966. It sets a potential start date for your benefits. If your claim is later approved, you can receive retroactive payments covering the time between when the VA processed your Intent to File and when your claim was decided.4Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. Submit an Intent to File
You then have one year to submit your full claim. Miss that window and the potential effective date resets to whenever you actually file. Disability compensation runs from roughly $180 to nearly $3,939 per month depending on rating, so even a few months of backdated pay adds up.4Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. Submit an Intent to File
Documents to Have Ready
Gathering paperwork before you start the full application prevents delays once the one-year clock is running:
- DD-214 or separation documents showing service dates, deployment locations, and discharge status.
- Social Security numbers for you, your spouse, and any dependents you plan to include.
- Medical records documenting your diagnosis, especially from non-VA providers.
- Deployment records such as orders, travel vouchers, or unit records that place you in a qualifying location during a covered time period.
The VA will attempt to obtain your personnel and service treatment records on your behalf, but if it can’t, the responsibility falls back on you. Having copies ready keeps that from becoming a bottleneck.
Choose the Right Form and How to Submit
Which form you use depends on what you’re applying for. For VA healthcare enrollment, use VA Form 10-10EZ through the VA.gov application portal.5Veterans Affairs. Apply for VA Health Care For disability compensation, use VA Form 21-526EZ, which you can complete online at VA.gov by signing in and uploading your documents. If you had a claim denied in the past that now falls under a PACT Act presumptive condition, file a supplemental claim using VA Form 20-0995.
You have three submission channels:
- Online at VA.gov, which is the fastest option.
- By mail, using the address listed on the form instructions.
- In person at your nearest VA medical center or regional office.
Healthcare Enrollment Is Separate From a Disability Claim
You can enroll in VA healthcare without filing a disability claim, and the VA encourages veterans concerned about toxic exposure to enroll even without a current diagnosis. PACT Act veterans with toxic exposures are generally placed in Priority Group 6, which determines copays and access.6U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Priority Groups
Enrolling also gets you into the toxic exposure screening, a five to ten minute conversation during a regular appointment in which a VA team member asks whether you believe you experienced toxic exposures during service. No diagnostic tests or physical exams are involved. You’ll be rescreened at least once every five years.2Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. The PACT Act and Your VA Benefits
Separately, you can join the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry through a web-based self-assessment. No medical evaluation is required. The registry itself is not a benefits claim, but participating documents your exposure history and may support a future claim.7VA Public Health. Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Exposures
What Happens After You File a Disability Claim
The VA sends an acknowledgment letter within about a week confirming it received your application. As of early 2026, the average time to complete a disability-related claim is roughly 77 days, down from a 148-day average when the PACT Act first took effect in 2023.8Veterans Affairs. The VA Claim Process After You File Your Claim Individual timelines depend on the complexity of your case, whether the VA needs additional evidence, and exam scheduling.
The VA will often schedule a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam. The examiner uses standardized Disability Benefits Questionnaires specific to your condition to determine where your disability falls in the rating system.9Department of Veterans Affairs. Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) – Compensation Show up to this exam. Missing or rescheduling adds weeks or months. Be honest and thorough about your worst days, because the examiner is measuring severity and understating symptoms is a common mistake.
Once a decision is made, the VA sends a notification letter with your disability rating (if approved), the effective date, and your monthly compensation amount. If you filed an Intent to File, your effective date may go back to that filing rather than the date of your full claim. Ratings run in 10% increments; for a veteran with no dependents in 2026, monthly compensation ranges from $180.42 at 10% to $3,938.58 at 100%, with higher amounts for veterans rated 30% or above who have dependents.10Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. Current Veterans Disability Compensation Rates
If You Were Denied Before the PACT Act
For a claim previously denied on a condition that is now presumptive, file a supplemental claim on VA Form 20-0995. A supplemental claim requires new and relevant evidence, and the new presumptive status itself qualifies as new and relevant evidence because it changes the legal framework the VA uses to evaluate your case. You generally have one year from the date of the decision letter to file and preserve your original effective date.11Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. Higher-Level Reviews
Survivors of Veterans Who Died From a Covered Condition
If a veteran died from a condition connected to toxic exposure, surviving spouses, children, and parents may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The Act’s expanded presumptive conditions apply to survivor claims as well, so survivors can apply or reapply without waiting for the VA to contact them.12Veterans Affairs. About VA DIC for Spouses, Dependents, and Parents Survivors file VA Form 21P-534EZ, which covers DIC, survivors pension, and accrued benefits the VA owed the veteran but had not paid at the time of death.13Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. About VA Form 21P-534EZ
Eligibility differs by relationship. A surviving spouse must have lived with the veteran without a break until death (or, if separated, not have been at fault) and meet one of these: married the veteran within 15 years of discharge from the service period when the qualifying condition began, married for at least one year, or had a child together. A surviving child must be unmarried, not included on the surviving spouse’s compensation, and under 18 (or under 23 if attending school). A surviving parent must be the biological, adoptive, or foster parent of the veteran, with income below a set threshold.
Get Free Accredited Help and Skip the Paid Filers
Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion and VFW provide free claims assistance through VA-accredited representatives. Federal law requires that anyone helping veterans prepare an initial disability claim be VA-accredited and cannot charge for that service. The VA’s Office of General Counsel maintains a searchable database to verify whether an attorney, claims agent, or VSO representative is currently accredited.14United States Department of Veterans Affairs. OGC – Accreditation Search
Be wary of companies that charge fees to file your initial VA claim. Some outfits, sometimes called claim sharks, charge veterans thousands of dollars for services accredited VSO representatives provide at no cost. If a company asks for payment to prepare and submit your initial claim, treat that as a red flag and use the accreditation search before sharing information or money.