With a focus on reducing cancer rates among U.S. veterans, the Department of Veteran Affairs recently introduced new measures to expand preventive services, health care, and benefits for the over 1 million veterans currently receiving cancer care.
These policies are extensions of the Biden administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to rally nationwide efforts—both private and public—to eliminate cancer.
“Cancer affects far too many veterans each year, and under President Biden’s leadership of the Cancer Moonshot, we are working to end cancer as we know it,” stated VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “These measures will help us save lives and provide the world-class care and benefits that veterans with cancer rightfully deserve.”
As part of these new efforts, the VA will include urethral cancers in the list of over 300 conditions recognized as presumptive under the PACT Act within the next three months. The PACT Act is legislation that broadens benefits and extends eligibility for veterans exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other hazards during their service, whether at home or abroad. This change means that Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan, and the entire Southwest Asia theater of operations will no longer need to prove that their service caused their urethral cancer to receive benefits. Instead, the VA will automatically connect these veterans to necessary services and approve benefits for those who have filed claims.
Additionally, the VA plans to expand access to genetic, lung, and colorectal cancer screenings for veterans. With approximately 5,000 veterans dying from lung cancer annually, the VA will make lung cancer screening available at all VA medical facilities to combat this issue. The agency will also offer over 1 million veterans home-based colorectal cancer tests, addressing the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Genetic testing will further enhance the VA’s ability to identify veterans who may be at risk for certain cancers and treat—and hopefully cure—individual cases.
The agency will also intensify efforts to provide smoking cessation services to veterans nationwide, including a pilot program that integrates smoking cessation with lung cancer screening.
“VA is laying the groundwork for the future of cancer care,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal. “By investing in screenings, expanding access, and adopting cutting-edge technologies, VA is transforming cancer care delivery, ensuring the best possible care for our nation’s heroes.”
The VA’s recent actions build on previous initiatives by the Biden administration to enhance cancer care for veterans. Last July, the agency expanded cancer risk assessments and mammograms (as clinically appropriate) to veterans under 40, regardless of age, symptoms, family history, or VA health care enrollment. It also prioritized claims processing for veterans with cancer, distributing $516 million in PACT Act benefits to veterans with cancer between Aug. 10, 2022, and March 3, 2024. Additionally, the VA has screened over 5 million veterans for toxic exposure, among other efforts.
Since its launch, Biden’s Cancer Moonshot has created more than 60 new programs, policies, and resources focused on combating cancer. Moreover, over 120 private companies, non-profits, academic institutions, and patient groups have contributed to these efforts.
For more information about Cancer Moonshot, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cancermoonshot/
For more information about VA cancer care, visit: cancer.va.gov.
