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Application deadline for extended VA benefits due to toxic exposure has been prolonged

WYSO | By Mike Frazier
Published August 11, 2023 at 4:30 PM EDT
Senior Airman Frances Gavalis tosses unserviceable uniform items into a burn pit at Balad Air Base, Iraq in 2008. The military destroyed uniforms, equipment and other materials in huge burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some veterans say those pits are responsible for respiratory problems they are now experiencing.
Senior Airman Julianne Showalter/USAF
Senior Airman Frances Gavalis tosses unserviceable uniform items into a burn pit at Balad Air Base, Iraq in 2008. The military destroyed uniforms, equipment and other materials in huge burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some veterans say those pits are responsible for respiratory problems they are now experiencing.

Some veterans who applied online for expanded health benefits from toxic exposures during their service might have mistakenly received an error message.

The Ohio Department of Veterans Services says the error message for those who applied on Tuesday, August 8, is due to the high volume of requests.

Veterans Services says that any applications made on Tuesday will be honored.

The Pact Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.

The deadline to apply has been extended to August 14.
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Military & Aviation Veterans
Mike Frazier
A chance meeting with a volunteer in a college computer lab in 1987 brought Mike to WYSO. He started filling in for various music shows, and performed various production, news, and on-air activities during the late 1980s and 90s, spinning vinyl and cutting tape before the digital evolution.
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