HOUSTON — For the past few months, we've been sharing Joe Whitten's story -- the disabled veteran who had been beaten, robbed and was in danger of losing his VA housing.
He finally received some good news last week when the VA told him they found an error in his file and he would be keeping his housing after all, in addition to being awarded $44,000.
The VA said they are still reviewing Whitten's file for more benefits from The PACT Act.
“We were pleased to be able to look at his benefits case and help out," said Robert M. Worley II, the executive director at the Houston Regional Office of the VA who oversees the team that looked at Whitten's case.
Worley said he and his staff started looking at Whitten's case because of the stories KHOU 11 has been doing on him.
“Well, we were asked to look into his case by our colleagues over at DeBakey Medical Center – just as part of the reporting that you have been doing," he said.
Through our reporting, we've learned Whitten may be eligible for "The PACT Act," which provides new benefits for exposure to toxic substances during service.
"PACT stands for the promise to address comprehensive toxics, that’s a lot of fancy words to say that for a long time our military members have served, wherever they serve are often exposed to various toxic substances of different kinds," Worley told us.
Many veterans, like Whitten, may not even realize they're eligible.
“It’s fair to say perhaps it’s the largest expansion of VA care and benefits in VA history," Worley said. "When you look at the Gulf War and post 911 veterans, we’re looking at a population of potential eligible 3.5 million that could potentially have been exposed."
Jason Wise, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, applied for the PACT Act and said it was pretty easy.
He now works for Combined Arms, which helps connect other veterans to resources.
He thinks more veterans are not taking advantage of the benefits from The PACT Act because of the lack of knowledge.
“Some of them, I think it’s tough for them to do it online, and some organizations, I just don’t think they are out and about with the information," he said.
The VA is trying to change that.
If veterans sign up during the first year, they're eligible for benefits retroactively to when the law was signed, which is coming up on August 10.
“So, that’s why we are trying to get the word out and we thank you and KHOU for helping us get the word out to veterans in the Greater Houston area," Worley said.
There's an event on July 13 at the Tomball VA clinic where veterans can get more information on The PACT Act.