U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand made a stop at a VA clinic in Henrietta on Friday to talk about the benefits of the PACT Act that was signed into law last year.
The New York Democrat came to town to remind veterans about benefits they may be due under that legislation which addresses illnesses believed to have been caused by burn pits and other toxins.
Gillibrand said that It’s likely that many veterans who served overseas can benefit from the PACT Act, and she she would also like to be able to track how that assistance is working.
“I recently joined a letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs calling on the VA to improve data collection so we can understand how the PACT Act is succeeding, and where additional support is needed,” said Gillibrand. “We need to make sure that veterans in this community suffering from toxic exposure receive the care that they need to survive.”
Officials with Monroe County and various veterans’ service agencies said they are working to reach out to veterans who may benefit from the new legislation.
Shawn Defries who is an official with the VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System, expects that a number of local veterans will apply for the new benefit.
“We do maintain close partnership with our colleagues in the Veterans Benefits Administration and locally, and we've already been seeing an increase in demand for the number of claims being processed,” said Defries. “But we are looking forward to bringing those folks in once they get through the eligibility process and have established benefits for them.”
Laura Stradley, who is the Executive Director of the Veterans Outreach Center in Rochester, said she’s pleased that after many advocates and political leaders have been pushing for the PACT Act legislation for years, it is now available to help provide treatment for eligible veterans.
“Unfortunately, we’re very quick to send our service members off to war, and we’re not very quick to make good on the promises that we give them sometimes,” said Stradley. She added that, “I’d love to see in future scenarios where Congress gets behind that a little quicker.” Stradley did credit Gillibrand and other members of Congress for making the PACT Act happen.
Officials with Monroe County including County Executive Adam Bello and Director of the county's Veterans Service Agency, Nick Stefanovic, were also at Friday's news conference pledging support in helping local veterans navigate the process to get benefits that may be due them.
