PACT Act 2022 Presumptives — Eligibility Check
Am I eligible under the PACT Act?
The PACT Act 2022 (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics) expanded VA presumptive-condition coverage to ~30 new conditions for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins. Presumptive = service + location is enough; no medical-nexus letter needed. Affects ~3.5M veterans.
Quick Answer
Service in qualifying era + location + diagnosis of a presumptive condition.
Qualifying eras
- Gulf War + Post-9/11: deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Djibouti, or other SW Asia after Aug 2, 1990
- Vietnam War: in-country service Jan 9, 1962 - May 7, 1975 (Agent Orange presumptives)
- Cold War (Camp Lejeune): residence at Camp Lejeune Aug 1, 1953 - Dec 31, 1987 (water-contamination presumptives)
- Atomic Veterans: nuclear-test participation 1945-1962 (radiation presumptives)
Headline presumptive conditions
- Hypertension (PACT Act 2022, all qualifying eras)
- Asthma (PACT Act 2022, post-9/11)
- Multiple cancers — lung, brain, kidney, melanoma, GI tract, lymphomas
- Chronic bronchitis, COPD, emphysema
- Constrictive bronchiolitis
- Granulomatous disease
- Sarcoidosis
- All Agent Orange conditions (Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's, ischemic heart disease, etc.)
- Camp Lejeune water conditions (kidney cancer, liver cancer, NHL, leukemia, etc.)
Documents you'll need
- DD-214 + deployment records showing qualifying era + location
- Medical records showing diagnosis of presumptive condition
- VA Form 21-526EZ (claim form)
- For Camp Lejeune: residence verification (military records of base assignment)
Fastest application path
File VA Form 21-526EZ checking the PACT Act presumptive box. CVSO can help free. Use our /condition/{slug} pages to identify which conditions you qualify under. PACT Act claims often process FASTER than non-presumptive (90-110 days vs 130-150).
Common pitfalls (avoid these)
⚠ Not realizing your condition is now presumptive (PACT Act 2022 added many — re-file if denied pre-2022)
⚠ Skipping the deployment-records request (free via SF-180; VA can pull but it's slower)
⚠ Filing without a CVSO (free help — CVSO knows which conditions are presumptive in which era)