NASHUA, N.H. — President Joe Biden took a victory lap through New Hampshire on Tuesday to mark the one millionth claim filed by a veteran via the PACT Act.

According to the president, the passage and success of that law represent a major step toward fulfillment of a long-standing national promise.

“America has a lot of obligations but only one truly sacred obligation,” Biden said. “And that’s to prepare those we send into harm’s way, and to take care of them and their families when they come home.”

The PACT Act, signed into law by the president in 2022, removes the requirement for veterans to prove their disabilities are connected to toxic chemicals exposure experienced while serving.

It comes about in response to the deaths of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans exposed to open burn pits or other toxic sites, and builds on the work done to get the Department of Veterans Affairs to recognize the harmful effects of Agent Orange had on Vietnam Era veterans.

Biden, during a brief address delivered to a small audience at the Westwood Park YMCA in Nashua, said that in the time since the act was signed into law, more than 1 million U.S. veterans have signed up for toxic exposure screening and more than 890,000 veterans have been approved for healthcare coverage or disability payments through the V.A.

That includes over 3,000 New Hampshire veterans, the President said, and according to the White House, almost 10,000 in Massachusetts.

The president described the law, officially called the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, as “one of the most significant laws, ever.”

“It matters, because too many service members have not only braved battlefields, but also while breathing in toxic fumes from burn pits,” he said.

According to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, who was in Nashua with Biden on Tuesday, nearly four million Veterans deployed over the last 30 years were exposed to burn pits.

“For too long, too many veterans who got sick while fighting for our country then had to fight for their healthcare, and their benefits too,” McDonough said.

The PACT Act (officially it’s the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act), changed that, the secretary said.

“When he signed the PACT Act into law, President Biden empowered V.A. to deliver care and benefits to millions of toxic exposed veterans and to their survivors,” he said.

One of those veterans is U.S. Army Master Sgt. Nicole Lyon. According to Lyon, her service brought her around the globe, but it also brought her into close contact with burn pits. As a result, Lyon said, she now suffers from “joint pain, migraines, reproductive disorders, neurological problems, skin issues, respiratory disorders, and more.”

Her husband, also a service member, has similar medical concerns. So do many of the people she served with, she said. Imagine her surprise when she learned she’d have to prove herself to the V.A. before they would help.

“Many of us were shocked to learn these conditions weren’t considered ‘service related’ which made it hard to get approved for care,” she said.

That’s simply not the case anymore, she said.

“I’m profoundly honored to tell you that the PACT Act, which President Biden fought hard for and signed into law, has completely changed that,” she said.

If you are a veteran exposed to burn pits or other toxins while in service, you can find more information on how to file a claim at va.gov/pact.

Biden followed his trip to Nashua with a pair of fundraisers in Boston.

President Biden greets Gov. Maura Healey, center, as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, left, watches, at his arrival on Air Force One at Boston-Logan International Airport, Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)