Midlands Military Matters: The Pact Act to provide healthcare, disability payouts

The nominee to lead Veterans Affairs Benefits Operations said he plans to improve outreach and support programs to ensure that veterans don’t feel forced into paying for legal assistance to obtain disability payouts and other services.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— The nominee to lead Veterans Affairs Benefits Operations said he plans to improve outreach and support programs to ensure that veterans don’t feel forced into paying for legal assistance to obtain disability payouts and other services.

All because veterans may be turning to outside firms that charge fees in order to decipher the sweeping Pact Act law.

The Pact Act, passed last summer, is expected to provide new health care and disability payouts for more than 3 million veterans nationwide.

Already, the Department has processed about 180,000 claims under the new law.

Also, as we first told you last week, military leaders unveiled a series of new policies aimed at easing service members’ ability to access reproductive health care.

They include fully paid travel expenses for troops who have to go out of state to obtain an abortion and up to three weeks to leave to accompany a dependent or spouse for such services.

Republican lawmakers have blasted the decision as an effort to use the military to advance the democratic party’s own political agenda.

The republican-controlled House Committee could also include abortion restrictions in its draft of the Annual Defense Authorization bill, due out in late Spring.

The services have until mid-March to implement the new abortion access policies.