ST. HELENA
Thompson announces extended deadline for backdated PACT Act benefits
Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (St. Helena) announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs has extended the deadline through Monday, August 14, for veterans, their families, and survivors to apply for PACT Act benefits backdated to August 10, 2022.
Veterans and survivors who apply (or submit their intent to file) for PACT Act benefits by 11:59PM Eastern/8:59PM Pacific on Monday, August 14, 2023 will be eligible to have their benefits backdated to August 10, 2022 – the day that President Biden signed the PACT Act into law. This is an extension from the original deadline of August 9, 2023. All veterans and their survivors should apply – or submit their intent to file – for PACT Act benefits now by visiting VA.gov/PACT.
“The extension of backdated PACT Act benefits is a welcome development as veterans, their families, and survivors experienced technical difficulties when trying to submit the intent to file,” said Thompson. “The new deadline of August 14 will provide those seeking PACT Act benefits with additional time to submit their intent to file and be eligible for backdated benefits. I encourage all veterans, their families, and survivors to take advantage of this extended deadline and begin the process of applying as soon as possible.”
VA made this decision out of an abundance of caution after experiencing technical difficulties with VA.gov/PACT in recent days. Specifically, due to extremely high demand, some Veterans who have sought to submit their intent to file for PACT Act benefits have received error messages while doing so. Despite these messages, VA has successfully logged every one of these intents to file – meaning that every Veteran or survivor who has received an error message while applying for PACT Act benefits can consider their intent to file complete. VA is working to contact these individuals to confirm directly to them that their intent to file will be honored and their effective date protected.
Most importantly, no Veteran or survivor will miss out on a single day of benefits due to this issue.
—submitted
SACRAMENTO
Historic agreement makes it easier to work across jurisdictions, aims to increase forest and fuels management projects on state and federal lands
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have accelerated efforts to combat catastrophic wildfires while improving and restoring the health of California forests.
Through a nationwide initiative known as the Good Neighbor Authority, CAL FIRE and the BLM have entered a statewide agreement and contract worth approximately $4.5 million, made available to CAL FIRE as part of the agreement, to increase coordination for restoration, fuels reduction, and forest health projects on BLM-managed public lands in California. BLM oversees 15 million acres of public land in California, which is approximately 15 percent of the state’s total land mass.
The primary objective of this contract is to mitigate the potential devastation caused by wildfires specifically on BLM lands. By joining forces, the agencies can pair similar goals of sometimes separate projects on adjacent or nearby lands and further reduce the risks associated with wildfires while improving overall ecosystem health. This includes fostering natural wildfire resilience, safeguarding ecosystem health, and enhancing emergency response capabilities on BLM lands.
“We are excited to partner with CAL FIRE on important projects on BLM-managed public lands throughout California,” said BLM California State Director Karen Mouritsen. “These agreements will result in better coordination for activities to reduce fuels that feed wildfires, protect wildlife habitat, improve forest health, and restore important watersheds.”
The benefits of this partnership also extend beyond wildfire prevention, as the agreement also strives to fortify BLM wildlands against climatic stressors like drought. It also addresses potential threats posed by insects and fungi, which impact the overall health of natural systems.
Under this agreement, CAL FIRE can work to accomplish state goals on federal (BLM) lands, with priority projects identified based on alignment of CAL FIRE and BLM strategic goals. Examples of this can include projects connecting fuel-breaks that cross from the State Responsibility Area to BLM lands, to completing fuel reduction in targeted areas that pose a significant threat to communities by catastrophic wildfire, to post-fire restoration and hazard reduction in areas impacted by wildfire or other climate stressors. In the past, coordinating these projects may have required months or years of coordination while addressing a range of hurdles due to jurisdictional boundaries.
Now, projects may encompass a wide range of activities, with the hope for seamless coordination across state and BLM lands, authorized by the Good Neighbor Authority, such as undertaking National Environmental Policy Act preparations, implementing fuel reduction measures, and engaging in watershed restoration initiatives, among other activities.
This agreement reflects a positive step toward reaching the goal of treating one million acres of forest and wildlands annually by 2025, as described in the Shared Stewardship Agreement. The treatments will be driven by public safety and ecological goals including reducing wildfire impacts in high priority areas and maintaining and restoring healthy, resilient forests and rangelands. The plan is to use science-based management to ensure vegetation treatment tools are ecologically appropriate to specific vegetation and landscapes.
Treatments will include thinning in excessively dense stands, timber harvesting, mechanical fuel reduction, prescribed fire, grazing, and reforestation.
To learn more about CAL FIRE’s forest health and resource management programs, visit CAL FIRE’s Natural Resource Management webpages at https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/natural-resource-management
—Submitted
