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VA Plans Outreach to Screen 3 Million More Veterans for Toxic Exposures

Efforts are underway at the Department of Veterans Affairs to encourage nearly 3 million veterans to come into a VA medical center or clinic and receive a brief five-minute screening for possible exposure to environmental hazards.

Under a requirement of the PACT Act, the VA must try to screen all patients enrolled in VA health care for toxic exposures. To date, it has screened 4.8 million veterans, 40% of whom have reported having at least one concern or experience with potential exposures.

Next on the list, however, are the 3 million veterans who are enrolled at the VA but don’t actually receive their medical care in a VA facility.

According to VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the department will embark on an “extensive outreach effort” to ensure that those veterans have the chance to be screened.

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