I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 203 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify presumptions relating 

to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of the 

Republic of Vietnam, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2019 

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who 

served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam, 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 ‘‘Blue Water Navy Viet5 nam Veterans Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF PRESUMPTIONS OF EXPOSURE 

2 FOR VETERANS WHO SERVED IN VICINITY OF 

3 REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 38, United 

5 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1116 

6 the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 1116A. Presumptions of service connection for vet8 erans who served offshore of the Repub9 lic of Vietnam 

10 ‘‘(a) SERVICE CONNECTION.—For the purposes of 

11 section 1110 of this title, and subject to section 1113 of 

12 this title, a disease covered by section 1116 of this title 

13 becoming manifest as specified in that section in a veteran 

14 who, during active military, naval, or air service, served 

15 offshore of the Republic of Vietnam during the period be16 ginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, 

17 shall be considered to have been incurred in or aggravated 

18 by such service, notwithstanding that there is no record 

19 of evidence of such disease during the period of such serv20 ice. 

21 ‘‘(b) EXPOSURE.—A veteran who, during active mili22 tary, naval, or air service, served offshore of the Republic 

23 of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 

24 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, shall be presumed to 

25 have been exposed during such service to an herbicide 

26 agent unless there is affirmative evidence to establish that 


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1 the veteran was not exposed to any such agent during that 

2 service. 

3 ‘‘(c) EFFECTIVE DATE OF AWARD.—(1) Except as 

4 provided by paragraph (2), the effective date of an award 

5 under this section shall be determined in accordance with 

6 section 5110 of this title. 

7 ‘‘(2)(A) Notwithstanding subsection (g) of section 

8 5110 of this title, the Secretary shall determine the effec9 tive date of an award based on a claim under this section 

10 for an individual described in subparagraph (B) by treat11 ing the date on which the individual filed the prior claim 

12 specified in clause (i) of such subparagraph as the date 

13 on which the individual filed the claim so awarded under 

14 this section. 

15 ‘‘(B) An individual described in this subparagraph is 

16 a veteran, or a survivor of a veteran, who meets the fol17 lowing criteria: 

18 ‘‘(i) The veteran or survivor submitted a claim 

19 for disability compensation on or after September 

20 25, 1985, and before January 1, 2020, for a disease 

21 covered by this section, and the claim was denied by 

22 reason of the claim not establishing that the disease 

23 was incurred or aggravated by the service of the vet24 eran. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) The veteran or survivor submits a claim 

2 for disability compensation on or after January 1, 

3 2020, for the same condition covered by the prior 

4 claim under clause (i), and the claim is approved 

5 pursuant to this section. 

6 ‘‘(d) DETERMINATION OF OFFSHORE.—Notwith7 standing any other provision of law, for purposes of this 

8 section, the Secretary shall treat a location as being off9 shore of Vietnam if the location is not more than 12 nau10 tical miles seaward of a line commencing on the south11 western demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and 

12 Cambodia and intersecting the following points: 

‘‘Points Geographic Names Latitude 

North 

Longitude 

East 

At Hon Nhan Island, Tho Chu Archipelago 

Kien Giang Province 9°15.0’ 103°27.0’ 

At Hon Da Island southeast of Hon Khoai Island Minh Hai Province 8°22.8’ 104°52.4’ 

At Tai Lon Islet, Con Dao Islet in Con DaoVung Toa Special Sector 8°37.8’ 106°37.5’ 

At Bong Lai Islet, Con Dao Islet 8°38.9’ 106°40.3’ 

At Bay Canh Islet, Con Dao Islet 8°39.7’ 106°42.1’ 

At Hon Hai Islet (Phu Qui group of islands) 

Thuan Hai Province 9°58.0’ 109°5.0’ 

At Hon Doi Islet, Thuan Hai Province 12°39.0’ 109°28.0’ 

At Dai Lanh point, Phu Khanh Province 12°53.8’ 109°27.2’ 

At Ong Can Islet, Phu Khanh Province 13°54.0’ 109°21.0’ 

At Ly Son Islet, Nghia Binh Province 15°23.1’ 109° 9.0’ 

At Con Co Island, Binh Tri Thien Province 17°10.0’ 107°20.6’ 


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1 ‘‘(e) HERBICIDE AGENT.—In this section, the term 

2 ‘herbicide agent’ has the meaning given that term in sec3 tion 1116 (a)(3) of this title.’’. 

4 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

5 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

6 after the item relating to section 1116 the following new 

7 item: 

‘‘1116A. Presumptions of service connection for veterans who served offshore of 

the Republic of Vietnam.’’. 

8 (c) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

9 (1) GUIDANCE.—Notwithstanding section 501 

10 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary of 

11 Veterans Affairs may issue guidance to implement 

12 section 1116A of such title, as added by subsection 

13 (a), before prescribing new regulations under such 

14 section. 

15 (2) UPDATES.—On a quarterly basis during the 

16 period beginning on the date of the enactment of 

17 this Act and ending on the date on which regula18 tions are prescribed to carry out such section 

19 1116A, the Secretary shall submit to the Commit20 tees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Represent21 atives and the Senate updates on the status of such 

22 regulations. 

23 (3) PENDING CASES.— 


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1 (A) AUTHORITY TO STAY.—The Secretary 

2 may stay a claim described in subparagraph 

3 (B) until the date on which the Secretary com4 mences the implementation of such section 

5 1116A. 

6 (B) CLAIMS DESCRIBED.—A claim de7 scribed in this subparagraph is a claim for dis8 ability compensation— 

9 (i) relating to the service and diseases 

10 covered by such section 1116A; and 

11 (ii) that is pending at the Veterans 

12 Benefits Administration or the Board of 

13 Veterans’ Appeals on or after the date of 

14 the enactment of this Act and before the 

15 date on which the Secretary commences 

16 the implementation of such section 1116A. 

17 (d) OUTREACH.— 

18 (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 

19 Affairs shall conduct outreach to inform veterans de20 scribed in paragraph (2) of the ability to submit a 

21 claim for disability compensation under section 

22 1116A of title 38, United States Code, as added by 

23 subsection (a). 

24 (2) VETERAN DESCRIBED.—A veteran described 

25 in this paragraph is a veteran who, during active 


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1 military, naval, or air service, served offshore of the 

2 Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on 

3 January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975. 

4 (e) REPORTS.—Not later than January 1, 2021, and 

5 not later than January 1, 2023, the Secretary of Veterans 

6 Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af7 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 

8 report on claims for disability compensation under section 

9 1116A of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub10 section (a). Each report shall include the following with 

11 respect to the period covered by the report, disaggregated 

12 by the regional offices of the Department of Veterans Af13 fairs: 

14 (1) The number of claims filed under such sec15 tion. 

16 (2) The number of such claims granted. 

17 (3) The number of such claims denied. 

18 (f) HEALTH CARE.—Section 1710(e)(4) of title 38, 

19 United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘(including 

20 offshore of such Republic as described in section 1116A(d) 

21 of this title)’’ after ‘‘served on active duty in the Republic 

22 of Vietnam’’. 

23 (g) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

24 this section shall take effect on January 1, 2020. 


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1 SEC. 3. PRESUMPTION OF HERBICIDE EXPOSURE FOR CER2 TAIN VETERANS WHO SERVED IN KOREA. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 38, United 

4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1116A, 

5 as added by section 2, the following new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 1116B. Presumption of herbicide exposure for cer7 tain veterans who served in Korea 

8 ‘‘(a) PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE-CONNECTION.—(1) 

9 For the purposes of section 1110 of this title, and subject 

10 to section 1113 of this title, a disease specified in sub11 section (b) that becomes manifest as specified in that sub12 section in a veteran described in paragraph (2) shall be 

13 considered to have been incurred or aggravated in the line 

14 of duty in the active military, naval, or air service, not15 withstanding that there is no record of evidence of such 

16 disease during the period of such service. 

17 ‘‘(2) A veteran described in this paragraph is a vet18 eran who, during active military, naval, or air service, 

19 served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), 

20 during the period beginning on September 1, 1967, and 

21 ending on August 31, 1971. 

22 ‘‘(b) DISEASES.—A disease specified in this sub23 section is— 

24 ‘‘(1) a disease specified in paragraph (2) of 

25 subsection (a) of section 1116 of this title that be26 comes manifest as specified in that paragraph; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) any additional disease that— 

2 ‘‘(A) the Secretary determines in regula3 tions warrants a presumption of service-connec4 tion by reason of having positive association 

5 with exposure to an herbicide agent; and 

6 ‘‘(B) becomes manifest within any period 

7 prescribed in such regulations. 

8 ‘‘(c) HERBICIDE AGENT.—For purposes of this sec9 tion, the term ‘herbicide agent’ has the meaning given 

10 such term in section 1821(d) of this title.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

12 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

13 after the item relating to section 1116A, as added by sec14 tion 2, the following new item: 

‘‘1116B. Presumption of herbicide exposure for certain veterans who served in 

Korea.’’. 

15 (c) PENDING CASES.— 

16 (1) AUTHORITY TO STAY.—The Secretary may 

17 stay a claim described in subparagraph (B) until the 

18 date on which the Secretary commences the imple19 mentation of section 1116B of title 38, United 

20 States Code, as added by subsection (a). 

21 (2) CLAIMS DESCRIBED.—A claim described in 

22 this subparagraph is a claim for disability compensa23 tion— 


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1 (A) relating to the service and diseases 

2 covered by such section 1116B; and 

3 (B) that is pending at the Veterans Bene4 fits Administration or the Board of Veterans’ 

5 Appeals on or after the date of the enactment 

6 of this Act and before the date on which the 

7 Secretary commences the implementation of 

8 such section 1116B. 

9 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

10 this section shall take effect on January 1, 2020. 

11 SEC. 4. BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN OF CERTAIN THAILAND 

12 SERVICE VETERANS BORN WITH SPINA 

13 BIFIDA. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 18 of 

15 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

16 end the following new section: 

17 ‘‘§ 1822. Benefits for children of certain Thailand 

18 service veterans born with spina bifida 

19 ‘‘(a) BENEFITS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary may 

20 provide to any child of a veteran of covered service in 

21 Thailand who is suffering from spina bifida the health 

22 care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary 

23 allowance required to be paid to a child of a Vietnam vet24 eran who is suffering from spina bifida under subchapter 

25 I of this chapter as if such child of a veteran of covered 


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1 service in Thailand were a child of a Vietnam veteran who 

2 is suffering from spina bifida under such subchapter. 

3 ‘‘(b) SPINA BIFIDA CONDITIONS COVERED.—This 

4 section applies with respect to all forms and manifesta5 tions of spina bifida, except spina bifida occulta. 

6 ‘‘(c) VETERAN OF COVERED SERVICE IN THAI7 LAND.—For purposes of this section, a veteran of covered 

8 service in Thailand is any individual, without regard to 

9 the characterization of that individual’s service, who— 

10 ‘‘(1) served in the active military, naval, or air 

11 service in Thailand, as determined by the Secretary 

12 in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, dur13 ing the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and 

14 ending on May 7, 1975; and 

15 ‘‘(2) is determined by the Secretary, in con16 sultation with the Secretary of Defense, to have been 

17 exposed to a herbicide agent during such service in 

18 Thailand. 

19 ‘‘(d) HERBICIDE AGENT.—For purposes of this sec20 tion, the term ‘herbicide agent’ means a chemical in a her21 bicide used in support of United States and allied military 

22 operations in Thailand, as determined by the Secretary in 

23 consultation with the Secretary of Defense, during the pe24 riod beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 

25 7, 1975.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO DEFINITION OF

2 ‘‘CHILD’’.—Section 1831(1) of such title is amended— 

3 (1) in subparagraph (B)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘subchapter III of this 

5 chapter’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1821 of this 

6 title’’; and 

7 (B) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘section 1821 

8 of this title’’ and inserting ‘‘that section’’; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub10 paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(C) For purposes of section 1822 of this 

12 title, an individual, regardless of age or marital 

13 status, who— 

14 ‘‘(i) is the natural child of a veteran 

15 of covered service in Thailand (as deter16 mined for purposes of that section); and 

17 ‘‘(ii) was conceived after the date on 

18 which that veteran first entered service de19 scribed in subsection (c) of that section.’’. 

20 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

21 (1) SUBCHAPTER HEADING.—The heading for 

22 subchapter III of chapter 18 of such title is amend23 ed by inserting ‘‘AND THAILAND’’ after 

24 ‘‘KOREA’’. 


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1 (2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 

2 at the beginning of chapter 18 of such title is 

3 amended— 

4 (A) by striking the item relating to sub5 chapter III and inserting the following new 

6 item: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—CHILDREN OF CERTAIN KOREA AND THAILAND SERVICE

VETERANS BORN WITH SPINA BIFIDA’’; 

7 and 

8 (B) by inserting after the item relating to 

9 section 1821 the following new item: 

‘‘1822. Benefits for children of certain Thailand service veterans born with spina 

bifida.’’. 

10 (d) PENDING CASES.— 

11 (1) AUTHORITY TO STAY.—The Secretary may 

12 stay a claim described in subparagraph (B) until the 

13 date on which the Secretary commences the imple14 mentation of section 1822 of title 38, United States 

15 Code, as added by subsection (a). 

16 (2) CLAIMS DESCRIBED.—A claim described in 

17 this subparagraph is a claim for benefits— 

18 (A) relating to the spina bifida and service 

19 covered by such section 1822; and 

20 (B) that is pending at the Veterans Bene21 fits Administration or the Board of Veterans’ 

22 Appeals on or after the date of the enactment 

23 of this Act and before the date on which the 


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1 Secretary commences the implementation of 

2 such section 1822. 

3 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

4 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

5 Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, 

6 shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 

7 the House of Representatives and the Senate a report 

8 identifying— 

9 (1) the military installations of the United 

10 States located in Thailand during the period begin11 ning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 

12 1975, at which an herbicide agent (as defined in sec13 tion 1822 of title 38, United States Code, as added 

14 by subsection (a)) was actively used; and 

15 (2) the period of such use. 

16 (f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

17 this section shall take effect on January 1, 2020. 

18 SEC. 5. UPDATED REPORT ON CERTAIN GULF WAR ILLNESS 

19 STUDY. 

20 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact21 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

22 submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

23 House of Representatives and the Senate an updated re24 port on the findings, as of the date of the updated report, 

25 of the Follow-up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War 


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1 and Gulf Era Veterans under the epidemiology program 

2 of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

3 SEC. 6. LOANS GUARANTEED UNDER HOME LOAN PRO4 GRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF5 FAIRS. 

6 (a) ADJUSTMENT OF LOAN LIMIT.—Section 

7 3703(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

8 (1) in subparagraph (A)(i)(IV)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘the lesser of’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘or 25 percent of the 

11 loan’’; and 

12 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘Freddie 

13 Mac’’ and all that follows through the period at the 

14 end and inserting ‘‘amount of the loan.’’. 

15 (b) LOAN FEES.—Section 3729(b)(2) of such title is 

16 amended by striking the loan fee table and inserting the 

17 following: 

‘‘Type of loan Active duty 

veteran Reservist Other obligor 

(A)(i) Initial loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 0-down, or any other 

initial loan described in section 

3710(a) other than with 5-down or 

10-down (closed on or after October 

1, 2004, and before January 1, 

2020) 

2.15 2.40 NA 


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‘‘Type of loan Active duty 

veteran Reservist Other obligor 

(A)(ii) Initial loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 0-down, or any other 

initial loan described in section 

3710(a) other than with 5-down or 

10-down (closed on or after January 

1, 2020, and before December 1, 

2028) 

2.40 2.40 NA 

(A)(iii) Initial loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 0-down, or any other 

initial loan described in section 

3710(a) other than with 5-down or 

10-down (closed on or after December 1, 2028, and before October 1, 

2029) 

2.15 2.15 NA 

(A)(iv) Initial loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 0-down, or any other 

initial loan described in section 

3710(a) other than with 5-down or 

10-down (closed on or after October 

1, 2029) 

1.40 1.40 NA 

(B)(i) Subsequent loan described in 

section 3710(a) to purchase or construct a dwelling with 0-down, or 

any other subsequent loan described 

in section 3710(a) (closed on or 

after October 1, 2004, and before 

January 1, 2020) 

3.30 3.30 NA 

(B)(ii) Subsequent loan described in 

section 3710(a) to purchase or construct a dwelling with 0-down, or 

any other subsequent loan described 

in section 3710(a) (closed on or 

after January 1, 2020, and before 

December 1, 2028) 

3.80 3.80 NA 

(B)(iii) Subsequent loan described in 

section 3710(a) to purchase or construct a dwelling with 0-down, or 

any other subsequent loan described 

in section 3710(a) (closed on or 

after December 1, 2028, and before 

October 1, 2029) 

3.30 3.30 NA 

(B)(iv) Subsequent loan described in 

section 3710(a) to purchase or construct a dwelling with 0-down, or 

any other subsequent loan described 

in section 3710(a) (closed on or 

after October 1, 2029) 

1.25 1.25 NA 


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‘‘Type of loan Active duty 

veteran Reservist Other obligor 

(C)(i) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 5-down (closed before 

January 1, 2020) 

1.50 1.75 NA 

(C)(ii) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 5-down (closed on or 

after January 1, 2020, and before 

December 1, 2028) 

1.75 1.75 NA 

(C)(iii) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 5-down (closed on or 

after December 1, 2028, and before 

October 1, 2029) 

1.50 1.50 NA 

(C)(iv) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 5-down (closed on or 

after October 1, 2029) 

0.75 0.75 NA 

(D)(i) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 10-down (closed before 

January 1, 2020) 

1.25 1.50 NA 

(D)(ii) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 10-down (closed on or 

after January 1, 2020, and before 

December 1, 2028) 

1.45 1.45 NA 

(D)(iii) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 10-down (closed on or 

after December 1, 2028, and before 

October 1, 2029) 

1.25 1.25 NA 

(D)(iv) Loan described in section 

3710(a) to purchase or construct a 

dwelling with 10-down (closed on or 

after October 1, 2029) 

0.50 0.50 NA 

(E) Interest rate reduction refinancing 

loan 

0.50 0.50 NA 

(F) Direct loan under section 3711 1.00 1.00 NA 

(G) Manufactured home loan under 

section 3712 (other than an interest 

rate reduction refinancing loan) 

1.00 1.00 NA 

(H) Loan to Native American veteran 

under section 3762 (other than an 

interest rate reduction refinancing 

loan) 

1.25 1.25 NA 

(I) Loan assumption under section 

3714 

0.50 0.50 0.50 

(J) Loan under section 3733(a) 2.25 2.25 2.25’’. 


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1 (c) WAIVER OF FEES FOR PURPLE HEART RECIPI2 ENTS; COLLECTION OF CERTAIN LOAN FEES.—Section 

3 3729(c) of such title is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘A fee’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘Subject to paragraph (3), a fee’’; 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘or from a surviving 

8 spouse’’ and inserting ‘‘, from a surviving 

9 spouse’’; and 

10 (C) by inserting before the period at the 

11 end the following: ‘‘, or from a member of the 

12 Armed Forces serving on active duty who was 

13 awarded the Purple Heart’’. 

14 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

15 paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(3) A fee shall be collected under this section from 

17 any veteran with a service-connected disability rated as 

18 less than total, any surviving spouse of such a veteran, 

19 and any member of the Armed Forces who, on or after 

20 January 1, 2020, receives a loan in an amount that ex21 ceeds the Freddie Mac conforming loan limit limitation de22 termined under section 305(a)(2) of the Federal Home 

23 Loan Mortgage Corporation Act (12 U.S.C. 1454(a)(2)) 

24 for a single-family residence, as adjusted for the year in25 volved.’’. 


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1 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section shall apply with respect to a loan guaranteed 

3 under section 3710 of title 38, United States Code, on 

4 or after January 1, 2020. 

5 (e) GUIDANCE.—Notwithstanding section 501 of such 

6 title, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may issue guidance 

7 to implement the amendments made by this section before 

8 prescribing new regulations under sections 3703 and 3729 

9 of such title, as so amended. 

10 SEC. 7. INFORMATION GATHERING FOR DEPARTMENT OF 

11 VETERANS AFFAIRS HOME LOAN APPRAIS12 ALS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3731(b) of title 38, 

14 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

15 following new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(3) The Secretary shall permit an appraiser on a 

17 list developed and maintained under subsection (a)(3) to 

18 make an appraisal for the purposes of this chapter based 

19 solely on information gathered by a person with whom the 

20 appraiser has entered into an agreement for such serv21 ices.’’. 

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

23 this section shall apply with respect to an appraisal under 

24 section 3731 of such title, on or after January 1, 2020. 


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1 (c) GUIDANCE.—Notwithstanding section 501 of such 

2 title, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may issue guidance 

3 to implement section 3731(b)(3) of title 38, United States 

4 Code, as added by subsection (a), before prescribing new 

5 regulations under such section. 

Æ 


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