Veterans who were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances can now receive additional health care and benefits from the U.S. Veteran Affairs through the PACT Act.

Much-needed benefits are now within reach for some of the nation's military veterans. According to the White House, in the year since the Pact Act was signed, nearly 450,000 benefit claims for toxic substances have been processed.

But as the deadline for backdated benefits nears, some say there are a lot of people who need help who may not be eligible.

Dennis Huber is proud of his time in the military, serving with the 101st Airborne and then the New York Army National Guard. It was when he was with the guard that he worked at Ground Zero, assisting in search, rescue and relief efforts after 9/11.

“I have a difficulty breathing, and they've given me a CPAP machine to help me with sleeping," Huber said. "But when it comes to anything else, I mean, I walk across the yard, and I'm out of breath.”

Huber is eligible for care from the PACT Act, legislation that grants additional health care for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances. But Huber’s eligibility is not because he was at Ground Zero.

“We were hoping that this would be included into the PACT Act, but the only (reason) why I get included into the PACT Act is because I did serve in Egypt. I did the multinational forces and observers where we worked with the U.N. to keep the peace between Egypt and Israel,” Huber said.

Natalie Rostran-Butler is the senior deputy director for Orange County Veterans Service Agency. She said veterans who are applying for care through the PACT Act should know a few crucial things if they want to obtain benefits.

“So, you need to have a medical professional to diagnose you with the condition that you can apply for," she said. "You also need something in service that you can relate to the reason you have that condition. So one of the things that the PACT Act does is it gives you that link from your current condition to your military service.”

Huber is hopeful he’ll receive help for the issues he’s facing from being at Ground Zero. But he says the PACT Act needs to be expanded to more veterans.

“It should be more broad than just, ‘Oh, you had to be in this conflict zone.’ I feel it should be open to everything because even on bases, you don't know what you're being exposed to,” he said.

The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. Monday. Veterans can visit VA.gov for more information.