By GvilleTX Newsroom
A Veterans Affairs notice listed a free Wichita Falls PACT Act Community Engagement event on Wednesday, Aug. 26, as a place where veterans, spouses and survivors could get individual help with VA benefits, a regional service point for Cooke County's estimated 2,410 veterans. The VA listing said staff planned to talk with attendees about their needs, help them work through the VA system and connect them with resources.
The event was listed for 2 to 6 p.m. CST at the Wichita Falls County Court House, 900 7th Street, 5th Floor. The notice said the outreach covered VA benefits and services, including benefits connected to military service, and invited veterans, spouses, caregivers, survivors and active-duty personnel nearing retirement.
The outreach was tied to the PACT Act, which GovInfo records show was approved Aug. 10, 2022, as Public Law 117-168. VA guidance says the law broadened health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances. The agency says the law added more than 20 presumptive conditions and requires toxic-exposure screening for every veteran enrolled in VA health care.
VA says the claims window has not closed. Veterans and survivors may file for PACT Act-related benefits at any time, according to the agency, though earlier filing can mean earlier payments. VA also says some eligible veterans may enroll in VA health care without first applying for disability benefits if they meet basic service and discharge requirements and served in specified eras or had toxic exposures during service.
VA records show the PACT Act remains active in the benefits system. In an April 24 dashboard, the agency reported that PACT-related claims took longer to complete on average than non-PACT claims as of March 31, and that most PACT claims since the law took effect had been submitted by mail. The same dashboard reported millions of completed PACT-related claims and toxic-exposure screenings since the law's approval date.
Cooke County maintains a local veterans office for residents who need help closer to home. The county's veteran-services page lists Tim Cortes as Veterans Services Officer at 301 South Chestnut Street in Gainesville, with weekday hours in the morning and afternoon. County budget records show a proposed FY2027 Veteran Service Office budget just above the 2026 line.
County-level veteran service offices also appear on official pages in nearby North Texas counties. Grayson County lists a Veteran's Affairs office in Sherman, Denton County lists a Veterans Service main office in Denton with scheduled appointments, and Montague County lists a county Veteran's Service Officer and administrative assistant in Montague.
For Gainesville and Cooke County veterans, the public records point to help at both levels: a Veterans Affairs outreach event in Wichita Falls for benefits questions tied to toxic exposure, and a county veterans office in Gainesville for local assistance during the workweek.
_Editor's note: Everyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law._
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