I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2617 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to enhance recordkeeping with respect 

to exposure by members of the Armed Forces to certain occupational 

and environmental hazards while deployed overseas, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 9, 2019 

Mr. GARAMENDI (for himself and Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 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 10, United States Code, to enhance recordkeeping with respect to exposure by members of the 

Armed Forces to certain occupational and environmental 

hazards while deployed overseas, 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 ‘‘Service Member’s Oc5 cupational and Environmental Transparency Health Act’’ 

6 or the ‘‘OATH Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INFORMATION REQUIRED TO BE ADDED TO MED2 ICAL RECORDS OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF 

3 THE ARMED FORCES. 

4 (a) OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

5 RISKS IN DEPLOYMENT AREA.— 

6 (1) ELEMENTS OF MEDICAL TRACKING SYS7 TEM.—Subsection (b)(1)(A) of section 1074f of title 

8 10, United States Code, is amended— 

9 (A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

10 end; 

11 (B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at 

12 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

14 clause: 

15 ‘‘(iv) accurately record any exposure to oc16 cupational and environmental health risks dur17 ing the course of their deployment.’’. 

18 (2) RECORDKEEPING.—Subsection (c) of such 

19 section is amended by inserting after ‘‘deployment 

20 area’’ the following: ‘‘(including the results of any 

21 assessment performed by the Secretary of occupa22 tional and environmental health risks for such 

23 area)’’. 

24 (3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

25 by this subsection shall take effect on the date of the 

26 enactment of this subsection. 


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1 (b) BURN PIT REGISTRY.— 

2 (1) UPDATES TO ELECTRONIC HEALTH

3 RECORDS.—Beginning not later than one year after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act— 

5 (A) the Secretary of Defense shall ensure 

6 that the electronic health record maintained by 

7 such Secretary of a member of the Armed 

8 Forces registered with the burn pit registry is 

9 updated with any information contained in such 

10 registry; and 

11 (B) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

12 ensure that the electronic health record main13 tained by such Secretary of a veteran registered 

14 with the burn pit registry is updated with any 

15 information contained in such registry. 

16 (2) BURN PIT REGISTRY DEFINED.—In this 

17 subsection, the term ‘‘burn pit registry’’ means the 

18 registry established under section 201 of the Dig19 nified Burial and Other Veterans’ Benefits Improve20 ment Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–260; 38 U.S.C. 

21 527 note). 


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1 SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR 

2 POSTDEPLOYMENT MEDICAL EXAMINATION 

3 AND HEALTH REASSESSMENTS. 

4 (a) POSTDEPLOYMENT MEDICAL EXAMINATION AND

5 REASSESSMENTS.—Section 1074f of title 10, United 

6 States Code, as amended by section 2, is further amended 

7 by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

8 ‘‘(g) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR

9 POSTDEPLOYMENT MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND

10 HEALTH REASSESSMENTS.—(1) The Secretary of Defense 

11 shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) standardize and make available to a pro13 vider that conducts a postdeployment medical exam14 ination or reassessment under the system described 

15 in subsection (a) questions relating to occupational 

16 and environmental health exposure; and 

17 ‘‘(B) prior to an examination or reassessment 

18 of a member of the armed forces, require such pro19 vider to review information applicable to such mem20 ber— 

21 ‘‘(i) in a Periodic Occupational and Envi22 ronmental Monitoring Summary (or any suc23 cessor document); and 

24 ‘‘(ii) on the Defense Occupational and En25 vironmental Health Readiness System (or any 

26 successor system). 


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1 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall ensure that the medical 

2 record of a member includes information on the external 

3 cause relating to a diagnosis of the member, including by 

4 associating an external cause code (as issued under the 

5 International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th 

6 Revision (or any successor revision)).’’. 

7 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

8 this section shall take effect 180 days after the date of 

9 the enactment of this section. 

10 SEC. 4. REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE 

11 UNITED STATES. 

12 (a) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 

14 the United States shall submit to the congressional de15 fense committees and the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

16 of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report 

17 containing an evaluation of the implementation of this Act 

18 (and the amendments made by this Act), including an as19 sessment of the extent to which the Secretary of Defense 

20 and Secretary of Veterans Affairs are in compliance with 

21 the applicable requirements of this Act (and the amend22 ments made by this Act). 

23 (b) CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES DE24 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘congressional defense 


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1 committees’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

2 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code. 

Æ 


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