WHAT:     “Your Service. Our Mission: Bringing VA Benefits Home” – VA and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Hosts PACT Act Presumptive Claims Event

PACT Act Presumptive Claims Event – April 12, 2024

• Tribal Veteran Service Officers and other knowledgeable advocates will assist completing VA claim paperwork.
• Muskogee VA Regional Office staff will review claims on-the-spot with the hope of same day approval. In addition, spouses and widows/widowers may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) when a Veteran dies as a result of these presumptive disabilities.
• Muskogee VA Health Care System employees will enroll Veterans not currently enrolled in VA health care. As part of the PACT Act process, Veterans can also complete toxic health screenings by VA clinicians.
• Assistance will also be available from local VA Vet Centers, VA suicide prevention and homeless program staff, as well as the State Department of Veterans Affairs and Social Security Disability Determination Office.

WHEN/

WHERE:  PACT Act Presumptive Claims Event: Friday, April 12, 2024, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Choctaw Nation Community Center, 100 Railroad St, Talihina, OK 74571

Event is free and lunch will be provided at the April 12 PACT Act claims event.

WHO: If you served in the military in any capacity and are unsure if you qualify, you are encouraged to come to the event and ask questions and allow VA staff to research for you.

• Veterans and their spouses/widows/widowers

HOW:       If available, Veterans are asked to bring the following documents:

• Medical records/medical evidence (e.g., doctor or hospital reports)
• Any documents that provide historical or military information needed for the disability you are claiming
• Discharge or separation papers (DD 214 or equivalent)
• Widows are asked to bring dependent records (e.g., marriage certificate, death certificate, children birth certificates),

BACKGROUND: 

VA and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will host a PACT Act Presumptive Disability Claims Event.

Collaborating with close to 30 tribal communities, VA is rolling out PACT Act Presumptive Claims events for Indian Country Veterans. The campaign, titled “Your Service. Our Mission: Bringing Benefits Home,” originally kicked off March 2018 with several Tribal communities in several states.  This year, because of the recently passed PACT Act Legislation adding new toxin exposure health related presumptive conditions, local VA medical center staff are on site to provide toxin health screenings for Veterans, working closely with VA benefits counselors during the claims process.

“With the focus on Veterans with presumptive disabilities and those who are pension eligible, VA is hopeful we can help Indian Country Veterans access the full range of benefits they have courageously earned through their service,” said Mary Culley, Tribal Relations Specialist, VA’s Office of Tribal Government Relations. “VA realizes this initiative can have a direct, tangible impact on the lives of thousands of previously unreached Veterans and their spouses.”