[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 14 (Monday, January 25, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 6833-6834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01712]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 14 / Monday, January 25, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 6833]]


                Executive Order 13982 of January 19, 2021

                
Care of Veterans With Service in Uzbekistan

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
                consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall 
                consider whether to designate veterans who served on 
                active duty in Uzbekistan between October 1, 2001, and 
                December 31, 2005, as veterans who served on active 
                duty in a theater of combat operations pursuant to 
                section 1710(e)(1)(D) of title 38, United States Code.

                Sec. 2. Within 365 days of the date of this order, the 
                Secretary of Defense shall conduct a rigorous study 
                investigating toxic exposure by members of the Armed 
                Forces deployed to the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, 
                Uzbekistan (Air Base), between October 1, 2001, and 
                December 31, 2005. The Secretary of Defense shall 
                submit a report summarizing the findings of the study 
                to the President, through the Secretary of Veterans 
                Affairs. The study shall include the following 
                elements:

                    (a) A detailed assessment of the conditions at the 
                Air Base between October 1, 2001, and December 31, 
                2005, including identification of any toxic substances 
                contaminating the Air Base during such period, the 
                exact locations of the toxic substances, the time 
                frames of exposure to the toxic substances, the service 
                members exposed to the toxic substances, and the 
                circumstances of such exposure.
                    (b) A rigorous epidemiological study of any health 
                consequences for members of the Armed Forces deployed 
                to the Air Base between October 1, 2001, and December 
                31, 2005. This study shall be of equivalent rigor to 
                studies used by the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
                make determinations regarding diseases subject to 
                presumptive service connections.
                    (c) An assessment of any causal link between 
                exposure to any toxic substances identified in 
                subsection (a) of this section and any health 
                consequences studied under subsection (b) of this 
                section.

                Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
related to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented in a manner 
                consistent with applicable law and subject to the 
                availability of appropriations.

[[Page 6834]]

                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    January 19, 2021.

[FR Doc. 2021-01712
Filed 1-22-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P