RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TENN - Veterans unenrolled in VA health care are encouraged to apply for their care by Sept. 30, 2023, to take advantage of the PACT Act special enrollment period.

The passage of the PACT Act on August 10, 2022, led to additional healthcare coverage for toxic exposures that Veterans experienced while in service... That was Stephanie Dorris, an enrollment supervisor at the Murfreesboro VA.

This newly updated special enrollment period allows Veterans to enroll in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care, and left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001 and Oct. 1, 2013 are eligible to enroll.

ENROLL - Veterans can enroll in VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System online at www.va.gov/PACT, call 615-225-2715, or visit the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro in person, or the Nashville VA. More information can be found at www.va.gov/tennessee-valley-health-care/register-for-care/.

LOCATION: York Veterans' Administration Medical Center at 3400 Lebanon Pike Murfreesboro, TN 37129-1237.

MORE - Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law on August 10, 2022, more than 344,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care and more than 4.2 million enrolled Veterans have been screened for toxic exposures. In Tennessee alone, more than 23,000 Veterans have filed claims for PACT Act benefits and more than 8,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA care. Veterans who do not meet any of the above criteria can often still access VA health care by filing for VA benefits or based on income. If a Veteran is granted service connection for any health condition, they become eligible for VA care.

VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York Campus in Murfreesboro and the Nashville Campus, as well as more than a dozen community-based outpatient clinics located in Tennessee and Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services.