Thousands of veterans who say they were sickened by radiation exposure during their military service have been denied federal benefits as cancer and old age whittle down the remaining number of ‘atomic vets.’ When the PACT Act was signed last August, more than 8,000 people who cleaned up radioactive sites became eligible to apply for monthly disability payments. A year later, the VA has rejected 86% of claims. Out of the roughly 4,100 processed radiation-related claims processed between Aug. 2022 and Aug. 2023, the VA denied more than 3,500.

Veterans who deployed to a combat zone, have never enrolled in VA health care, and who left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2013, are eligible to enroll directly in VA health care until 11:59 p.m. local time on Sept. 30, 2023. While the Sept. 30 deadline was written into law for this specific group of veterans, other groups of veterans can enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits – including some Vietnam veterans, Gulf War veterans, and veterans who deployed to a combat zone and transitioned out of service less than 10 years ago.

Witnessing the death of a fellow service member, being harassed by a superior, or suffering from a training accident are just a few examples of traumatic events veterans like you may have experienced during service. These non-combat PTSD stressors, or stressful or traumatic events that occur outside of combat, can have a big impact on mental health and can often lead to PTSD. Regardless of when symptoms begin or whether you saw combat, veterans with service-connected PTSD are entitled to VA benefits.

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