{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://magaziner.house.gov/media/press-releases/ahead-pact-act-anniversary-rep-magaziner-encourages-veterans-apply-benefits", "Ahead of PACT Act Anniversary, Rep. Magaziner Encourages Veterans to Apply for Benefits", "2023-08-08", "2023", "2023-08", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Seth Magaziner", "M001223", "magaziner.house.gov", "magaziner", "https://magaziner.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Warwick, R.I. \u2013 Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act (PACT Act), Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02) encouraged veterans who were exposed to toxic substances to file a claim to receive benefits by an important August 9 deadline.\n\nThe PACT Act \u2014 which was signed into law last August \u2014 expanded and extended eligibility for permanent VA health care and benefits for the millions of veterans, including an estimated 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans, who may have been exposed to burn pits and other toxins during military deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and surrounding areas. While this law represents the largest expansion of VA benefits in decades, millions of veterans have yet to file their claims.\n\n\u201cJust as our service members make a promise to leave no one behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind when they come home,\u201d said Rep. Seth Magaziner. \u201cThe PACT Act honors this promise \u2014 ensuring that veterans who were exposed to toxic substances while serving our nation receive the care and benefits they deserve.\u201d\n\nThere is no deadline to apply for PACT Act-related benefits, but if a Veteran files their PACT Act claim \u2014 or quickly submits an intent to file \u2014 by August 9, 2023, they may receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022. Furthermore, Veterans who deployed to a combat zone and were discharged or released between September 11, 2001 and October 1, 2013 can enroll directly into VA health care during a special enrollment period that ends on September 30, 2023.\n\nThere are two fast approaching deadlines:\n\nAugust 9, 2023: Veterans and survivors must file a claim before August 9, 2023, to be eligible for retroactive compensation backdating to August 10, 2022.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://magaziner.house.gov/media/press-releases/ahead-pact-act-anniversary-rep-magaziner-encourages-veterans-apply-benefits"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8818958885967731, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}