Veteran’s Claims

We have assembled this content to help Veterans with their claims. Please note that we are all volunteers and do not work for the VA. If you’ve had a successful Fort Ord claim, we’d love to hear from you: fortordcontamination@gmail.com

If you are a Veteran or helping a Veteran file a claim for VA benefits, I recommend you start by reading these helpful tips.

After reading the tips, read this info from the VA on starting a claim.

You can find a Veteran’s Service Officer (VSO) who will help you file your claim for free here.

Use this form to locate and get a copy of your military medical records. Pay attention to the section telling you where to mail it depending on when and where you served.

Here is a list of doctors who provide Nexus letters for a fee. We have not vetted these nor do we endorse any of them. We just want to pass along helpful information. Many people recommend Prestige Veteran Military Consulting. Please email us at FortOrdContamination@gmail.com if you have someone to recommend to the Nexus letter list.

Check the “Files” section for research and supporting documents for your VA claim.

Also use this Virtual Triage tool to see which diseases/illnesses have been linked to the contaminants and toxins found on Fort Ord.

In 2023, President Biden signed the PACT Act into law. The PACT Act is a law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. Read more about it here.

The PACT Act discusses claims for any Toxic Risk Exposure Activity (TERA): “VA announced that all Veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military – at home or abroad – are now eligible to enroll directly in VA health care.” See this link for more information.

Any veteran who believes they were exposed to toxins should file a TERA statement with their VA doctor. They should also ask their VA doctor for a TERA (toxic exposure) screening. It is important to have these two things in your VA records for the claims process.

Read this document of steps and suggestions for the most effective PACT Act/TERA claim (coming soon).

Agent Orange was used on Fort Ord to control poison oak. Although the federal government does not recognize that Agent Orange was used on Fort Ord, we found the proof. If you spent time on Fort Ord and have one of the diseases that the VA agrees are caused by Agent Orange exposure, you may want to file a claim and provide this proof.

Please note that we recently discovered the use of Agent Orange on Fort Ord but we are not aware of any vet who has filed and/or won a claim due to Agent Orange exposure. If you win your claim, please let us know.

MORE REPORTING ON FORT ORD

Here is an article regarding the difficulty of getting VA benefits for those sick from Fort Ord.

VeteranLife.com summarizes the history and current status of Fort Ord.