The Next PACT Act Deadline: Health Care Enrollment For Veterans Who Deployed To Combat Zones

Until 11:59pm local time on September 30, 2023, Veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care, and left active duty between September 11, 2001 and October 1, 2013 are eligible to enroll directly in VA health care. This special enrollment period gives Veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other combat zones an opportunity to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits.

VA encourages all of these Veterans to visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more and sign up for VA health care before the deadline. Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than non-enrolled Veterans, and VA hospitals have dramatically outperformed non-VA hospitals in overall quality ratings and patient satisfaction ratings. Additionally, VA health care is often more affordable than non-VA health care for Veterans.

This special enrollment period is a part of the PACT Act, the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in generations. Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law on August 10, 2022, more than 378,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care and more than 4.4 million enrolled Veterans have been screened for toxic exposures.

 “Are you a Veteran who deployed to a combat zone but never enrolled in VA health care? If you left active duty between September 11, 2001, and October 1, 2013, you should sign up now,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “Even if you don’t need this care now, you may need it in the future – and once you’re in, you have access for life. But don’t wait – the deadline is September 30 – so go to VA.gov/PACT and apply today.”

VA is executing a nationwide outreach campaign to ensure that as many Veterans as possible enroll before September 30. In total, there are 1.78 million Veterans in this cohort, and 1.37 million of them are already enrolled in VA care. This month alone, we have sent letters, emails, and – for the first time in VA history – texts to the approximately 400,000 remaining Veterans encouraging them to apply. Thus far, this campaign has resulted in a 119% jump in this year’s enrollments from this cohort since August 15, 2023. This is a part of the largest outreach campaign in VA history, which has one goal in mind: ensure that all Veterans – and their survivors – get the health care and benefits they deserve under the PACT Act.

More information on eligibility for the special enrollment period can be found at VA.gov/PACT. For more information about how the PACT Act is helping Veterans and their survivors, visit VA’s  PACT Act Dashboard. To apply for care or benefits today, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411.