During Wednesday’s Interactive Event, the Congresswoman & Representatives from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services Were Joined by More Than 3,800 Virginians

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, July 19, U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger hosted an open, public telephone town hall focused on issues facing Virginia’s Veterans, military families, and caregivers.

During the event, Spanberger was joined by representatives from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. The Congresswoman and her guests answered questions directly from Virginians about U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, Camp Lejeune exposures, U.S. Department of Defense funding, employment opportunities for Veterans, and more. Additionally, they provided updates about benefits that were signed into law as part of the Honoring Our PACT Act, which Spanberger voted to pass in August 2022.

More than 3,800 Virginians joined Wednesday night’s event. Click here to watch the full video recording.

“Virginia’s Veterans and their families deserve our strongest support — and I appreciate any opportunity learn more about how we can keep our promises to those who have borne the battle. I want to thank the thousands of Virginians who tuned in, the Veterans who shared their stories, and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services for lending their expertise to our town hall,” said Spanberger. “During our event, we heard many questions about Veterans’ benefits — particularly related to the Honoring Our PACT Act and the new exposure-related conditions that are covered. I want to encourage any Veteran who has questions related to these new benefits — or any other issue — to please reach out to my office for assistance. We are here to help.”

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

While there is no deadline or fee to file a claim under the Honoring Our PACT Act, Veterans and their survivors have an extra incentive to apply for these new benefits by August 9, 2023. If Virginians apply for these benefits before August 9, their claims can be eligible for a year of retroactive compensation backdated to August 10, 2022.

To learn more, Veterans can visit VA.gov/PACT. If Virginians have more questions about this process, they can contact Spanberger’s office by phone at 703-987-2180 or online at spanberger.house.gov.

BACKGROUND

This week’s event was Spanberger’s 49th open, public town hall event. These town halls have focused on a range of issues facing Virginia’s families, Veterans, seniors, small businesses, students, and communities. Click here to watch full recordings of previous events.                                                                                                                

###