Department of Veterans Affairs
WICHITA — While there is no deadline to apply for PACT Act-related benefits, there is urgency. Most Veterans and survivors who apply for benefits or submit an “Intent to File” by August 9, if granted, will have their benefits backdated to August 10th of last year – the day President Biden signed the PACT Act into law.
According to VA’s National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, there are roughly 186,000 Veterans living in the state of Kansas. Currently, 52,080 Veterans are receiving service-connected compensation from the federal government, leaving 134,000 who may be eligible for similar benefits.
"Along with outreach assets from the Eastern Kansas VA Health Care System, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and our state-level partners from the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs (KCVAO), we have trekked across Kansas educating Veterans and survivors on potential eligibility for new health care and benefits,” said Michael Payne, CEO and Medical Center Director of Wichita’s Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center. “The time for Veterans to act is now, and we will not rest until every one of them gets what they’ve earned.”
The economic impact of service-connected compensation cannot be understated.
“Our statistics indicate yearly compensation brings an estimated $1.05 billion into the state of Kansas,” said Donna Meyer-Hickel, Director of VBA’s Wichita Regional Office.
VA encourages all eligible Veterans and survivors to apply for their earned PACT Act-related health care and benefits now.
Veterans and survivors can apply or learn more about the PACT Act by visiting VA.gov/PACT, by calling 1-800-MYVA411, or by visiting their nearest VA facility. In Hutchinson, the closest place to sign up is the VA Outpatient Clinic at 1625 East 30th Avenue, across from Scooters Coffee.