S. 2102 

One Hundred Seventeenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two 

An Act 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Under Secretary for Health 

of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mammography screening for 

veterans who served in locations associated with toxic exposure. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas 

Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans In Combat Environments 

Act’’ or the ‘‘Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act’’. 

SEC. 2. REVISION OF BREAST CANCER MAMMOGRAPHY POLICY OF 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO PROVIDE 

MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING FOR VETERANS WHO SERVED 

IN LOCATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH TOXIC EXPOSURE. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7322 of title 38, United States Code, 

is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The’’ and inserting ‘‘IN

GENERAL.—The’’; 

(2) in subsection (b)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘The’’ and inserting ‘‘STANDARDS FOR

SCREENING.—The’’; and 

(B) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ‘‘a record of service 

in a location and during a period specified in subsection 

(d),’’ after ‘‘risk factors,’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following new subsections: 

‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY FOR SCREENING FOR VETERANS EXPOSED TO

TOXIC SUBSTANCES.—The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure 

that, under the policy developed under subsection (a), any veteran 

who, during active military, naval, or air service, was deployed 

in support of a contingency operation in a location and during 

a period specified in subsection (d), is eligible for a mammography 

screening by a health care provider of the Department. 

‘‘(d) LOCATIONS AND PERIODS SPECIFIED.—(1) The locations and 

periods specified in this subsection are the following: 

‘‘(A) Iraq during following periods: 

‘‘(i) The period beginning on August 2, 1990, and ending 

on February 28, 1991. 

‘‘(ii) The period beginning on March 19, 2003, and 

ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn 

pits are no longer used in Iraq. 

‘‘(B) The Southwest Asia theater of operations, other than 

Iraq, during the period beginning on August 2, 1990, and ending 
S. 2102—2 

on such date as the Secretary determines burn pits are no 

longer used in such location, including the following locations: 

‘‘(i) Kuwait. 

‘‘(ii) Saudi Arabia. 

‘‘(iii) Oman. 

‘‘(iv) Qatar. 

‘‘(C) Afghanistan during the period beginning on September 

11, 2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines 

burn pits are no longer used in Afghanistan. 

‘‘(D) Djibouti during the period beginning on September 

11, 2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines 

burn pits are no longer used in Djibouti. 

‘‘(E) Syria during the period beginning on September 11, 

2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines 

burn pits are no longer used in Syria. 

‘‘(F) Jordan during the period beginning on September 11, 

2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines 

burn pits are no longer used in Jordan. 

‘‘(G) Egypt during the period beginning on September 11, 

2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines 

burn pits are no longer used in Egypt. 

‘‘(H) Lebanon during the period beginning on September 

11, 2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines 

burn pits are no longer used in Lebanon. 

‘‘(I) Yemen during the period beginning on September 11, 

2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines 

burn pits are no longer used in Yemen. 

‘‘(J) Such other locations and corresponding periods as set 

forth by the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry 

established under section 201 of the Dignified Burial and Other 

Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112– 

260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note). 

‘‘(K) Such other locations and corresponding periods as 

the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, 

may determine appropriate in a report submitted under paragraph (2). 

‘‘(2) Not later than two years after the date of the enactment 

of the Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas Supporting Expanded Review 

for Veterans In Combat Environments Act, and not less frequently 

than once every two years thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs, in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit 

to Congress a report specifying other locations and corresponding 

periods for purposes of paragraph (1)(K). 

‘‘(3) A location under this subsection shall not include any 

body of water around or any airspace above such location. 

‘‘(4) In this subsection, the term ‘burn pit’ means an area 

of land that— 

‘‘(A) is used for disposal of solid waste by burning in the 

outdoor air; and 

‘‘(B) does not contain a commercially manufactured incinerator or other equipment specifically designed and manufactured 

for the burning of solid waste.’’. 

(b) REPORT ON BREAST CANCER RATES FOR VETERANS DEPLOYED

TO CERTAIN AREAS.—Not later than two years after the date of 

the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 
S. 2102—3 

a report that compares the rates of breast cancer among members 

of the Armed Forces deployed to the locations and during the 

periods specified in section 7322(d) of title 38, United States Code, 

as added by subsection (a), as compared to members of the Armed 

Forces who were not deployed to those locations during those 

periods and to the civilian population. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.