I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7091 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require medical facilities of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs to share certain data with State cancer 

registries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 25, 2024 

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia (for herself and Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require medical 

facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to share 

certain data with State cancer registries, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Counting Veterans’ 

5 Cancer Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) According to 2017 data from National Pro4 gram of Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease 

5 Control and Prevention, approximately 26,500 can6 cer cases among veterans were not reported to State 

7 cancer registries funded through such Program. 

8 (2) Established by Congress in 1992 through 

9 the Cancer Registries Amendment Act (Public Law 

10 102–515), the National Program of Cancer Reg11 istries under section 399B of the Public Health 

12 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280e) collects data on cancer 

13 occurrence (including the type, extent, and location 

14 of the cancer), the type of initial treatment, and out15 comes. 

16 (3) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre17 vention support central cancer registries in 46 

18 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, cer19 tain territories of the United States in the Pacific 

20 Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. 

21 (4) The data obtained by registries described in 

22 paragraph (3) combined with data from the Surveil23 lance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of 

24 the National Cancer Institute and mortality data 

25 from National Center for Health Statistics of the 


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1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention com2 prise the official United States Cancer Statistics. 

3 (5) The United States Cancer Statistics reflect 

4 all newly diagnosed cancer cases and cancer deaths 

5 for the entire population of the United States, ex6 cept for unreported veterans. 

7 (6) Federal law requires the Centers for Dis8 ease Control and Prevention and the National Can9 cer Institute to collect cancer data for all newly di10 agnosed cancer cases, but that currently cannot be 

11 achieved due to frequent lack of reporting by med12 ical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

13 (7) Releasing all data from medical facilities of 

14 the Department to State cancer registries will pro15 vide more complete data for health care providers, 

16 public health officials, and researchers to— 

17 (A) measure cancer occurrence and trends 

18 at the local and national level; 

19 (B) inform and prioritize cancer edu20 cational and screening programs; 

21 (C) evaluate efficacy of prevention efforts 

22 and treatment; 

23 (D) determine survival rates; 

24 (E) conduct research on the etiology, diag25 nosis, and treatment of cancer; 


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1 (F) ensure quality and equity in cancer 

2 care; and 

3 (G) plan for health services. 

4 (8) Capturing cancer data from medical facili5 ties of the Department in State cancer registries and 

6 the United States Cancer Statistics can benefit vet7 erans by— 

8 (A) improving the ability to identify can9 cer-related disparities in the veteran commu10 nity; 

11 (B) improving understanding of the can12 cer-related needs of veterans, which can be in13 corporated into State Comprehensive Cancer 

14 Control planning for screening and treatment 

15 programs funded by the Centers for Disease 

16 Control and Prevention; and 

17 (C) increasing opportunities for veterans 

18 with cancer to be included in more clinical trials 

19 and cancer-related research and analysis being 

20 done outside of the health care system of the 

21 Department. 

22 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to im23 prove care for veterans by ensuring all data on veterans 

24 diagnosed with cancer are captured by the national cancer 

25 registry programs supported by the National Program of 


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1 Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease Control and 

2 Prevention and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End 

3 Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. 

4 SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT THAT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

5 AFFAIRS SHARE DATA WITH STATE CANCER 

6 REGISTRIES. 

7 (a) SHARING OF DATA WITH STATE CANCER REG8 ISTRIES.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 

10 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add11 ing at the end the following new section: 

12 ‘‘§ 7330E. Sharing of data with State cancer registries 

13 ‘‘(a) SHARING BY THE DEPARTMENT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall share 

15 with the State cancer registry of each State, if such 

16 a registry exists, qualifying data for all individuals 

17 who are residents of the State and have received 

18 health care under the laws administered by the Sec19 retary. 

20 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO DATA

21 SHARED.—In sharing data under paragraph (1) with 

22 a State cancer registry, the Secretary shall comply 

23 with the requirements for non-Department facilities 

24 to report data, in a manner that is as complete and 

25 timely as possible, without requiring a data use 


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1 agreement in place between the Department and 

2 each State cancer registry— 

3 ‘‘(A) to State cancer registries that are 

4 supported by the National Program of Cancer 

5 Registries of the Centers for Disease Control 

6 and Prevention under section 399B of the Pub7 lic Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280e); 

8 ‘‘(B) to State cancer registries that are 

9 supported by the Surveillance Epidemiology and 

10 End Results Program of the National Cancer 

11 Institute authorized under the National Cancer 

12 Act of 1971 (Public Law 92–218); and 

13 ‘‘(C) to State cancer registries as set forth 

14 in relevant State laws and regulations that au15 thorize a cancer registry. 

16 ‘‘(b) QUALIFYING DATA DEFINED.—In this section, 

17 the term ‘qualifying data’, with respect to a State cancer 

18 registry, means all data required to be provided to the reg19 istry pursuant to the authorities specified in subpara20 graphs (A) through (C) of subsection (a)(2).’’. 

21 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec22 tions at the beginning of subchapter II of such chap23 ter is amended by inserting after the item relating 

24 to section 7330D the following new item: 

‘‘7330E. Sharing of data with State cancer registries.’’. 


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1 (b) SHARING BY STATE CANCER REGISTRIES.—The 

2 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven3 tion shall assist State cancer registries described in sub4 paragraphs (A) and (B) of section 7330E(a)(2) of title 

5 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), 

6 in facilitating, to the extent allowed under State laws regu7 lating the cancer registry program, the sharing with the 

8 Secretary of Veterans Affairs of data in the possession of 

9 each such registry regarding diagnosis of cancer for each 

10 veteran— 

11 (1) enrolled in the system of annual patient en12 rollment established and operated under section 

13 1705(a) of such title; or 

14 (2) registered to receive care from the Depart15 ment of Veterans Affairs under section 17.37 of title 

16 38, Code of Federal Regulations, or successor regu17 lations. 

Æ 


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