PACT ACT: What's next

BOWLING GREEN — Since the SFC Honoring Our PACT Act passed and signed into law early last month, the struggle for veterans and advocates has been implementation and education. To help streamline a course of action, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown visited VFW Post #1148 in Bowling Green on Friday to talk to the local veterans and advocates about their next course of action. "The reason we're here is to get every veteran organization, veteran service commission, law enforcement and everywhere we can reach to get into the ways of letting people know and sign up," Brown said. Veterans from the community, the Wood County Sheriff's Office, David Rice from Bowling Green State University and Dione Somerville and Daphne Kinkade from Owens Community College all participated in the discussion on ways to get more veterans covered. "We've already seen a volume uptick," said Zach Migura, the executive director of the Wood County Veteran Service Organization. "The PACT Act is going to impact a lot of veterans, but even the ones it doesn't impact is outreach for our office." Some issues, as discussed by Tim Hauser, a 1982 Huron High School graduate and a Gulf War veteran, involved a stigma around mental illness, homelessness and substance abuse that could hinder who is signing up. Hauser also discussed situations in which self-medication was cheaper, how veterans are turning to drugs and becoming addicted. Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasyslshyn and Captain Greg Panning addressed the stigma that veterans arrested for drug-related or mental illness crimes may not admit that they're veterans. "They feel ashamed," Wasylyshyn said. "Maybe they're facing addiction or having to self-medicate." But, according to Hauser, this goes a lot further for veterans nationwide. Veterans are being acknowledged and their families are being taken care of. Veterans no longer have to decide between rent or medical care. David Rice, the Assistant Director of Nontraditional and Military Student Services at BGSU, said around 700 students are either defendants or veterans, 200 students are active service vets who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. But — like Panning, a Marine veteran who served from 1992 until 1996 — many might question what they're eligible for. "We're planting seeds in the students. They don't have to jump through hoops," Rice said. Students now might not have any service-related injuries, but that doesn't mean more won't be added to the list of blanketed coverage. Only time can tell what illnesses might need covered. "We need as many people in the system as possible," Migura added. "There's no wrong reason. Please call us and we will look into each case individually."Background The SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act provides healthcare coverage to veterans suffering illnesses caused by toxin exposure, including burn pits, Agent Orange and others. The bill was named after Sandusky native Susan Zeier's son-in-law, Heath Robinson, who passed away in May 2020. Robinson was 39 when he passed and left behind his wife, Danielle Robinson, and their now 9-year-old daughter, Brielle. Robinson served with the Ohio National Guard in Kosovo and Iraq, where he was exposed to "burn pits" — football field-sized open fires used to destroy medical waste, chemicals, weapons and more. When he returned to the U.S. and became seriously ill, he was denied benefits through the Veterans Administration. His wife, Danielle, was denied caregiver benefits when the V.A. labeled him as the highest degree for needing caregiving. U.S. Senators voted to pass the PACT Act on August 2, following a six-night FireWatch, where veterans and advocates stayed on the Capitol steps in Washington D.C. to convince 25 Republican senators to reverse their nay votes. Members from veteran service organizations — like the IAVI, Burn Pits 360 and more — sick and dying veterans, Jon Stewart and others refused to leave the steps until the PACT Act was passed. The PACT Act was signed into law on Aug. 9 after over a decades-long fight led by Rosie and LeRoy Torres.