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Working with our County Veteran Service Officers is key to getting information about the PACT Act to our Veterans. On July 29, 2023, the Durham VA Health Care System partnered with the

Craven County Veteran Service Office to host a PACT Act outreach VetFest event. Held at the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern, North Carolina, the event invited Veterans and their

family members to speak directly with Veterans Benefits Administration and Veterans Health Administration representatives face-to-face. “We owe it to all Veterans to let them know about the

benefits that may be available to them under the PACT Act,” said Sarah Fredrickson, Assistant Director for the Durham VA Health Care System. “And if we must bring our staff to where our

Veterans live, then we’ll do just that.” The Craven County Veteran Service Office Director, Jeff Futrell, was excited to have VHA and VBA in his town. “We appreciated all the VA staff who

showed up to assist Veterans here in our area to provide the wealth of knowledge they brought,” Futrell said. “We are receiving a large volume of responses due to this successful event.”

Signed into law Aug. 10, 2022, the PACT Act is the largest expansion of Veteran health care benefits in generations. VA dubbed July as Summer VetFest, a nationwide push for VA facilities to

host events to inform Veterans, their family members, and survivors about the PACT Act and encourage them to apply for the health care and benefits they have earned. VA encourages all

eligible Veterans and survivors to file a claim – or submit their intent to file a claim – for PACT Act-related benefits now. Veterans who do so on or before Aug. 9, 2023, may have their

benefits (if granted) backdated to Aug. 10, 2022, the day President Biden signed the bill into law.