I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4816 

To establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a national center for 

the diagnosis, treatment, and research of health conditions of the descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during service in the 

Armed Forces, to provide certain services to those descendants, to establish an advisory board on exposure to toxic substances, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 9, 2014 

Mr. HONDA (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. HIGGINS, 

Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. KEATING, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Ms. 

LEE of California, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to 

the Committee on Armed Services, 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 establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a national center for the diagnosis, treatment, and research 

of health conditions of the descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during service in the Armed 

Forces, to provide certain services to those descendants, 

to establish an advisory board on exposure to toxic substances, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Toxic Exposure Re3 search and Military Family Support Act of 2014’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) ARMED FORCE.—The term ‘‘Armed Force’’ 

7 means the United States Army, Navy, Marine 

8 Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard, including the re9 serve components thereof. 

10 (2) DESCENDANT.—The term ‘‘descendant’’ 

11 means, with respect to an individual, the biological 

12 child, grandchild, or great-grandchild of that indi13 vidual. 

14 (3) TOXIC SUBSTANCE.—The term ‘‘toxic sub15 stance’’ shall have the meaning given that term by 

16 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and shall include 

17 all substances that have been proven by peer re18 viewed scientific research or a preponderance of 

19 opinion in the medical community to lead to disabil20 ities related to the exposure of an individual to those 

21 substances while serving as a member of the Armed 

22 Forces. 

23 (4) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 

24 meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, 

25 United States Code. 


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1 SEC. 3. NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE DIAGNOSIS, TREAT2 MENT, AND RESEARCH OF HEALTH CONDI3 TIONS OF THE DESCENDANTS OF INDIVID4 UALS EXPOSED TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES DUR5 ING SERVICE IN THE ARMED FORCES. 

6 (a) NATIONAL CENTER.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec9 retary of Veterans Affairs shall select a medical cen10 ter of the Department of Veterans Affairs to serve 

11 as the national center for the diagnosis, treatment, 

12 and research of health conditions of descendants of 

13 individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving 

14 as members of the Armed Forces that are related to 

15 that exposure (in this section referred to as the 

16 ‘‘Center’’). 

17 (2) CRITERIA FOR SELECTION.—The Center 

18 shall be selected under paragraph (1) from among 

19 medical centers of the Department with expertise in 

20 diagnosing and treating functional and structural 

21 birth defects and caring for individuals exposed to 

22 toxic substances, or that are affiliated with research 

23 medical centers or teaching hospitals with such ex24 pertise, that seek to be selected under this section. 

25 (b) FUNCTIONS.— 

26 (1) DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Center may diag2 nose and treat, without charge, each patient for 

3 whom the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has 

4 made the following determinations: 

5 (i) The patient is a descendant of an 

6 individual who served as a member of the 

7 Armed Forces. 

8 (ii) The individual was exposed to a 

9 toxic substance while serving as a member 

10 of the Armed Forces. 

11 (iii) The patient is afflicted with a 

12 health condition that is determined by the 

13 advisory board established in section 4 to 

14 be a health condition that results from the 

15 exposure of that individual to that toxic 

16 substance. 

17 (B) TREATMENT.—Treatment under this 

18 section is limited to treatment of health condi19 tions for which the advisory board established 

20 in section 4 has made a determination described 

21 in subparagraph (A)(iii). 

22 (C) ADDITIONAL DIAGNOSIS AND TREAT23 MENT.—Nothing in this section shall preclude a 

24 patient from receiving additional diagnosis or 

25 treatment at the Center or another facility of 


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1 the Department in connection with other health 

2 conditions or benefits to which the individual is 

3 entitled under laws administered by the Sec4 retary. 

5 (D) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE

6 TREATMENT.—Recommendations for future 

7 treatment of a patient shall be transmitted to 

8 a primary care provider for that patient, with 

9 follow-up consultations with the Center sched10 uled as appropriate. 

11 (E) USE OF RECORDS.— 

12 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of 

13 Defense or the head of a Federal agency 

14 may make available to the Secretary of 

15 Veterans Affairs for review records held by 

16 the Department of Defense, an Armed 

17 Force, or that Federal agency, as appro18 priate, that might assist the Secretary of 

19 Veterans Affairs in making the determina20 tions required by subparagraph (A). 

21 (ii) MECHANISM.—The Secretary of 

22 Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of De23 fense or the head of the appropriate Fed24 eral agency may jointly establish a mecha25 nism for the availability and review of 


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1 records by the Secretary of Veterans Af2 fairs under clause (i). 

3 (2) RESEARCH.—The Center may conduct re4 search on the diagnosis and treatment of health con5 ditions of descendants of individuals exposed to toxic 

6 substances while serving as members of the Armed 

7 Forces that are related to that exposure. 

8 (3) AGENT ORANGE CONDITIONS.—The Center, 

9 in coordination with the National Birth Defect Reg10 istry, shall track and research the genetic link be11 tween individuals who are exposed to Agent Orange 

12 and the medical conditions of the children of such 

13 individuals. 

14 (c) SOCIAL WORKERS.—The Center shall employ not 

15 less than one licensed clinical social worker to coordinate 

16 access of patients to appropriate Federal, State, and local 

17 social and healthcare programs and to handle case man18 agement. 

19 (d) REIMBURSEMENT FOR NECESSARY TRAVEL AND

20 ROOM AND BOARD.—The Center may reimburse any par21 ent, guardian, spouse, or sibling who accompanies a pa22 tient diagnosed or treated pursuant to this section for the 

23 reasonable cost of— 

24 (1) travel to the Center for diagnosis or treat25 ment of the patient pursuant to this section; and 


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1 (2) room and board during the period in which 

2 the patient is undergoing diagnosis or treatment at 

3 the Center pursuant to this section. 

4 (e) REPORT.—Not less frequently than annually, the 

5 Center shall submit a report to Congress that includes the 

6 following: 

7 (1) A summary of the extent and nature of care 

8 provided pursuant to this section. 

9 (2) A summary of the research efforts of the 

10 Center under this section that have been completed 

11 within the previous year and that are ongoing as of 

12 the date of the submission of the report under this 

13 subsection. 

14 SEC. 4. ADVISORY BOARD. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than one year after 

16 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

17 Veterans Affairs shall establish an advisory board (in this 

18 section referred to as the ‘‘Advisory Board’’) to advise the 

19 Center established under section 3, to determine which 

20 health conditions result from exposure to toxic substances, 

21 and to study and evaluate cases of exposure of current 

22 and former members of the Armed Forces to toxic sub23 stances if such exposure is related the service of the mem24 ber in the Armed Forces. 

25 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 


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1 (1) COMPOSITION.—Not later than 150 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary of Veterans Affairs shall, in consultation with 

4 the Secretary of Health and Human Services and 

5 other heads of Federal agencies as the Secretary of 

6 Veterans Affairs determines appropriate, select not 

7 less than 13 members of the Advisory Board, of 

8 whom— 

9 (A) not less than three shall be members 

10 of organizations exempt from taxation under 

11 section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue 

12 Code of 1986; 

13 (B) not less than one shall be— 

14 (i) a descendant of an individual who 

15 was exposed to toxic substances while serv16 ing as a member of the Armed Forces and 

17 the descendant has manifested a birth de18 fect or functional disability as a result of 

19 the exposure of that individual; or 

20 (ii) a parent, child, or grandchild of 

21 that descendant; and 

22 (C) additional members may be selected 

23 from among— 

24 (i) health professionals, scientists, and 

25 academics with expertise in— 


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1 (I) birth defects; 

2 (II) developmental disabilities; 

3 (III) epigenetics; 

4 (IV) public health; 

5 (V) the science of environmental 

6 exposure or environmental exposure 

7 assessment; or 

8 (VI) the science of toxic sub9 stances; 

10 (ii) social workers; and 

11 (iii) advocates for veterans or mem12 bers of the Armed Forces. 

13 (2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary shall select 

14 a Chairperson from among the members of the Advi15 sory Board. 

16 (3) TERMS.—Each member of the Advisory 

17 Board shall serve a term of two or three years as 

18 determined by the Secretary. 

19 (c) DUTIES.— 

20 (1) ADVISORY ROLE WITH RESPECT TO THE

21 CENTER.—With respect to the Center established 

22 under section 3, the Advisory Board shall— 

23 (A) oversee and assess the work of the 

24 Center; and 


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1 (B) advise the Secretary of Veterans Af2 fairs on— 

3 (i) issues related to the provision of 

4 treatment and care at the Center; 

5 (ii) issues related to the research con6 ducted at the Center; and 

7 (iii) the particular benefits and serv8 ices required by the descendants of individ9 uals exposed to toxic substances while serv10 ing as members of the Armed Forces. 

11 (2) DETERMINATION THAT HEALTH CONDI12 TIONS RESULTED FROM TOXIC EXPOSURE.—The Ad13 visory Board shall determine which health conditions 

14 in descendants of individuals exposed to toxic sub15 stances while serving as members of the Armed 

16 Forces are health conditions that resulted from the 

17 exposure of that individual to that toxic substance 

18 for purposes of eligibility for the following: 

19 (A) Treatment of that descendant at the 

20 Center established under section 3. 

21 (B) Medical care for that descendant 

22 under section 1781 of title 38, United States 

23 Code. 


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1 (C) Support for the family caregiver of 

2 that descendant under section 1720G(a) of such 

3 title. 

4 (D) Support for the caregiver of that de5 scendant under section 1720G(b) of such title. 

6 (3) STUDY AND CONSIDERATION OF TOXIC SUB7 STANCE EXPOSURE CLAIMS.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Board 

9 shall study and evaluate claims of exposure to 

10 toxic substances by current and former mem11 bers of the Armed Forces that is related to the 

12 service of the member in the Armed Forces. 

13 (B) SUBMISSION OF CLAIMS.—Claims of 

14 exposure described in subparagraph (A) may be 

15 submitted to the Advisory Board in such form 

16 and in such manner as the Secretary of Vet17 erans Affairs may require by any of the fol18 lowing individuals or entities: 

19 (i) A member of the Armed Forces. 

20 (ii) A veteran. 

21 (iii) A descendant of a member of the 

22 Armed Forces. 

23 (iv) A descendant of a veteran. 

24 (v) A veterans advocacy group. 


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1 (vi) An official of the Department of 

2 Veterans Affairs with responsibility or ex3 perience monitoring the health of current 

4 and former members of the Armed Forces. 

5 (vii) An official of the Department of 

6 Defense with responsibility or experience 

7 monitoring the health of current and 

8 former members of the Armed Forces. 

9 (C) CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS.—Not 

10 later than 180 days after receiving a claim sub11 mitted pursuant to subparagraph (B), the Advi12 sory Board shall consider the claim and take 

13 one of the following actions: 

14 (i) If the Advisory Board determines 

15 that exposure to a toxic substance occurred 

16 to a degree that an individual exposed to 

17 that substance may have or develop a med18 ical condition that would qualify that indi19 vidual for health care or compensation 

20 from the Department of Veterans Affairs 

21 or the Department of Defense, the Advi22 sory Board shall submit to the Secretary of 

23 Veterans Affairs a report described in sub24 paragraph (D). 


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1 (ii) If the Advisory Board determines 

2 that further consideration of the claim is 

3 necessary to adequately assess the extent 

4 of exposure, the Advisory Board shall refer 

5 the claim to the Office of Extramural Re6 search established under section 5 to con7 duct further research and report its find8 ings to the Advisory Board. 

9 (iii) If the Advisory Board determines 

10 that exposure to a toxic substance did not 

11 occur or occurred to a negligible extent, 

12 the Advisory Board shall report such de13 termination to the Secretary of Veterans 

14 Affairs. 

15 (D) REPORT.—If the Advisory Board 

16 makes a determination under subparagraph 

17 (C)(i), the Advisory Board shall submit to the 

18 Secretary of Veterans Affairs a report that con19 tains the following: 

20 (i) Evidence used by the Advisory 

21 Board in making the determination under 

22 subparagraph (C)(i), including, if appro23 priate, the following: 

24 (I) Scientific research, including 

25 any research conducted by the Office 


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1 of Extramural Research established 

2 under section 5. 

3 (II) Peer-reviewed articles from 

4 scientific journals relating to exposure 

5 to toxic substances. 

6 (III) Medical research conducted 

7 by the Department of Veterans Af8 fairs, the Department of Defense, or 

9 the medical community. 

10 (ii) Recommendations on the extent to 

11 which the Department of Veterans Affairs 

12 or the Department of Defense should pro13 vide health care, benefits, or other com14 pensation with respect to exposure to a 

15 toxic substance to the following individuals: 

16 (I) An individual exposed to a 

17 toxic substance as determined under 

18 subparagraph (C)(i). 

19 (II) A descendant of that indi20 vidual. 

21 (iii) Information on cost and attrib22 utable exposure, as defined in regulations 

23 prescribed pursuant to this Act. 

24 (E) PUBLICATION OF EVIDENCE.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

2 in clause (ii), the Secretary shall publish in 

3 the Federal Register the evidence described 

4 in clause (i) of subparagraph (D) that is 

5 submitted with the report required by that 

6 subparagraph. 

7 (ii) EXCEPTION.—Such evidence may 

8 not be published if the Secretary deter9 mines that preventing such publication— 

10 (I) is in the national security in11 terest of the United States; or 

12 (II) protects the privacy interests 

13 of individuals exposed to toxic sub14 stances. 

15 (F) SUBPOENA AUTHORITY.—The Advi16 sory Board may require by subpoena the at17 tendance and testimony of witnesses necessary 

18 to consider claims of exposure to toxic sub19 stances under this paragraph. 

20 (G) COOPERATION OF FEDERAL AGEN21 CIES.—The head of each relevant Federal agen22 cy, including the Administrator of the Environ23 mental Protection Agency, shall cooperate fully 

24 with the Advisory Board for purposes of considVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:51 Jun 10, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4816.IH H4816

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1 ering claims of exposure to toxic substances 

2 under this paragraph. 

3 (d) MEETINGS.—The Advisory Board shall meet at 

4 the call of the Chair, but not less frequently than semi5 annually. 

6 (e) COMPENSATION.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The members of the Advi8 sory Board shall serve without compensation. 

9 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 

10 Advisory Board shall be allowed travel expenses, in11 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates au12 thorized for employees of agencies under subchapter 

13 I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while 

14 away from their homes or regular places of business 

15 in the performance of services for the Advisory 

16 Board. 

17 (f) PERSONNEL.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson may, with19 out regard to the civil service laws and regulations, 

20 appoint an executive director of the Advisory Board, 

21 who shall be a civilian employee of the Department 

22 of Veterans Affairs, and such other personnel as 

23 may be necessary to enable the Advisory Board to 

24 perform its duties. 


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1 (2) APPROVAL.—The appointment of an execu2 tive director under paragraph (1) shall be subject to 

3 approval by the Advisory Board. 

4 (3) COMPENSATION.—The Chairperson may fix 

5 the compensation of the executive director and other 

6 personnel without regard to the provisions of chapter 

7 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, 

8 United States Code, except that the rate of pay for 

9 the executive director and other personnel may not 

10 exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive 

11 Schedule under section 5316 of such title. 

12 SEC. 5. OFFICE OF EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH. 

13 (a) OFFICE.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

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

15 Affairs shall establish an Office of Extramural Research 

16 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Office’’)— 

17 (1) to conduct research on wounds, illnesses, in18 juries, and other conditions suffered by individuals 

19 as a result of exposure to toxic substances while 

20 serving as members of the Armed Forces; and 

21 (2) to assist the Advisory Board established 

22 under section 4 in the consideration of claims of ex23 posure to toxic substances. 

24 (b) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

25 shall select a Director of the Office. 


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1 (c) GRANTS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to approval by the 

3 advisory council established under subsection (e), the 

4 Director may award grants to reputable scientists 

5 and epidemiologists to carry out this section. 

6 (2) EXCEPTION.—The Director may not award 

7 grants to individuals or organizations associated 

8 with or having an interest in a chemical company or 

9 any other organization that the Secretary determines 

10 may have an interest in the increased use of toxic 

11 substances. 

12 (d) SUPPORT TO ADVISORY BOARD.—Not later than 

13 180 days after receiving a request from the Advisory 

14 Board established under section 4 to review a claim of ex15 posure pursuant to subsection (c)(3)(C)(ii) of that section, 

16 the Office shall submit a report to the Advisory Board 

17 with one of the following determinations: 

18 (1) A determination that exposure to a toxic 

19 substance occurred to a degree that an individual ex20 posed to that substance may have or develop a med21 ical condition that would qualify that individual for 

22 health care or compensation from the Department of 

23 Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. 

24 (2) A determination that further study of the 

25 claim is necessary, to be carried out by, or under the 


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1 direction of, the Office in coordination with the Ad2 visory Board. 

3 (3) A determination that exposure to a toxic 

4 substance did not occur or occurred to a negligible 

5 extent. 

6 (e) ADVISORY COUNCIL.— 

7 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec9 retary of Veterans Affairs shall establish an advisory 

10 council (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Council’’) 

11 for the Office established under this section. 

12 (2) MEMBERSHIP.— 

13 (A) COMPOSITION.— 

14 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of 

15 Veterans Affairs shall, in consultation with 

16 the Secretary of Health and Human Serv17 ices and any other heads of Federal agen18 cies as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

19 determines appropriate, select 11 members 

20 of the Council, of whom— 

21 (I) not less than three shall be 

22 members of organizations exempt 

23 from taxation under section 

24 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue 

25 Code of 1986; and 


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1 (II) additional members may be 

2 selected from among— 

3 (aa) environmental epi4 demiologists; 

5 (bb) academics; and 

6 (cc) veterans or the descend7 ants of veterans. 

8 (ii) REQUIREMENTS FOR SCI9 ENTISTS.—When considering individuals 

10 who are members of the scientific commu11 nity for selection to the Council, the Sec12 retary of Veterans Affairs may select only 

13 those individuals— 

14 (I) who have evidenced expertise 

15 in and demonstrate a commitment to 

16 research that leads to peer-reviewed 

17 scientific evaluation of the wounds, ill18 nesses, injuries, and other conditions 

19 that may arise from exposure to toxic 

20 substances; and 

21 (II) who are not associated with 

22 and do not have an interest in a 

23 chemical company or any other orga24 nization that the Secretary determines 


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1 may have an interest in the increased 

2 use of toxic substances. 

3 (B) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary of Vet4 erans Affairs shall select a Chairperson from 

5 among the members of the Council. 

6 (C) TERMS.—Each member of the Council 

7 shall serve a term of two or three years as de8 termined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

9 (3) DUTIES.—The Council shall— 

10 (A) approve or disapprove of grants pro11 posed to be awarded by the Director pursuant 

12 to subsection (c); and 

13 (B) advise the Secretary of Veterans Af14 fairs and the Director on— 

15 (i) establishing guidelines for grant 

16 proposals and research proposals under 

17 this section; and 

18 (ii) assisting the Advisory Board es19 tablished under section 4 in the consider20 ation of claims of exposure to toxic sub21 stances. 

22 (4) MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet at the 

23 call of the Chairperson, but not less frequently than 

24 semiannually. 

25 (5) COMPENSATION.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The members of the 

2 Council shall serve without compensation. 

3 (B) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of 

4 the Council shall be allowed travel expenses, in5 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 

6 authorized for employees of agencies under sub7 chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 

8 Code, while away from their homes or regular 

9 places of business in the performance of serv10 ices for the Council. 

11 (f) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the es12 tablishment of the Office under this section, the Director 

13 and the Chairman of the Council shall jointly submit to 

14 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Congress a report 

15 that contains the following: 

16 (1) A summary of the research efforts con17 ducted and the grants awarded under this section. 

18 (2) A summary of the effects of exposure to 

19 toxic substances studied pursuant to this section. 

20 (3) Recommendations for steps to be taken to 

21 care for and serve— 

22 (A) individuals exposed to toxic substances 

23 while serving as a member of the Armed 

24 Forces; and 

25 (B) the progeny of those individuals. 


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1 SEC. 6. PROVISION OF DEPENDENT CARE AND CAREGIVER 

2 ASSISTANCE TO DESCENDANTS OF VETERANS 

3 EXPOSED TO CERTAIN TOXIC SUBSTANCES 

4 DURING SERVICE IN THE ARMED FORCES. 

5 (a) DEPENDENT CARE.—Section 1781(a) of title 38, 

6 United States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘, and’’ and 

8 inserting a comma; 

9 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the semicolon 

10 at the end and inserting ‘‘, and’’; and 

11 (3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol12 lowing new paragraph: 

13 ‘‘(5) an individual who is the biological child, 

14 grandchild, or great-grandchild of a veteran who the 

15 Secretary has determined was exposed to a toxic 

16 substance while serving as a member of the Armed 

17 Forces, if— 

18 ‘‘(A) the individual has a health condition 

19 that is determined by the Advisory Board estab20 lished by section 4 of the Toxic Exposure Re21 search and Military Family Support Act of 

22 2014 to be a health condition that results from 

23 exposure to that toxic substance, 

24 ‘‘(B) the individual is homebound as a re25 sult of that health condition, and 


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1 ‘‘(C) the Secretary determines that the vet2 eran has or had the same health condition,’’. 

3 (b) CAREGIVER ASSISTANCE.— 

4 (1) COMPREHENSIVE ASSISTANCE.—Subsection 

5 (a) of section 1720G of title 38, United States Code, 

6 is amended— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘veteran’’ each place it ap8 pears (except for paragraph (2)(A)) and insert9 ing ‘‘individual’’; 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘veterans’’ each place it 

11 appears and inserting ‘‘individuals’’; 

12 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

13 (i) by striking subparagraphs (A) and 

14 (B) and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(A)(i) is a veteran or member of the Armed 

16 Forces undergoing medical discharge from the 

17 Armed Forces and has a serious injury (including 

18 traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma, or 

19 other mental disorder) incurred or aggravated in the 

20 line of duty in the active military, naval, or air serv21 ice on or after September 11, 2001; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) is the biological child, grandchild, or great23 grandchild of a veteran who the Secretary has deter24 mined was exposed to a toxic substance while serv25 ing as a member of the Armed Forces, if— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the individual has a health condition 

2 that is determined by the Advisory Board estab3 lished by section 4 of the Toxic Exposure Re4 search and Military Family Support Act of 

5 2014 to be a health condition that results from 

6 exposure to that toxic substance; 

7 ‘‘(II) the individual is homebound as a re8 sult of that health condition; and 

9 ‘‘(III) the Secretary determines that the 

10 veteran has or had the same health condition; 

11 and’’; and 

12 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

13 (C) as subparagraph (B); and 

14 (D) in paragraph (9)(C)(i), by striking 

15 ‘‘veteran’s’’ and inserting ‘‘individual’s’’. 

16 (2) GENERAL CAREGIVER SUPPORT.—Sub17 section (b) of such section is amended— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘veteran’’ each place it ap19 pears and inserting ‘‘individual’’; 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘veterans’’ each place it 

21 appears and inserting ‘‘individuals’’; 

22 (C) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘who 

23 are’’ and all that follows through ‘‘of this title’’; 

24 and 

25 (D) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

2 (A), (B), and (C) as clauses (i), (ii), and 

3 (iii), respectively; and 

4 (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

5 as redesignated by clause (i), by striking 

6 ‘‘any individual who needs’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘any individual who— 

8 ‘‘(A)(i) is enrolled in the health care system es9 tablished under section 1705(a) of this title; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) is the biological child, grandchild, or great11 grandchild of a veteran who the Secretary has deter12 mined was exposed to a toxic substance while serv13 ing as a member of the Armed Forces, if— 

14 ‘‘(I) the individual has a health condition 

15 that is determined by the Advisory Board estab16 lished by section 4 of the Toxic Exposure Re17 search and Military Family Support Act of 

18 2014 to be a health condition that results from 

19 exposure to that toxic substance; 

20 ‘‘(II) the individual is homebound as a re21 sult of that health condition; and 

22 ‘‘(III) the Secretary determines that the 

23 veteran has or had the same health condition; 

24 and 

25 ‘‘(B) needs’’. 


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•HR 4816 IH

1 (3) DEFINITIONS.—Subsection (d) of such sec2 tion is amended— 

3 (A) by striking ‘‘eligible veteran’’ each 

4 place it appears and inserting ‘‘eligible indi5 vidual’’; 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘covered veteran’’ each 

7 place it appears and inserting ‘‘covered indi8 vidual’’; 

9 (C) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘the vet10 eran’’ and inserting ‘‘the eligible individual or 

11 covered individual’’; 

12 (D) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the vet13 eran’’ and inserting ‘‘the eligible individual’’; 

14 (E) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘the vet15 eran’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘the 

16 eligible individual’’; 

17 (F) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘the vet18 eran’’ and inserting ‘‘the eligible individual or 

19 covered individual’’; and 

20 (G) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(5) The term ‘toxic substance’ has the mean22 ing given that term in section 2 of the Toxic Expo23 sure Research and Military Family Support Act of 

24 2014.’’. 

25 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 


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•HR 4816 IH

1 (1) BENEFICIARY TRAVEL.—Section 111 of title 

2 38, United States Code, is amended— 

3 (A) in subsection (b)(1), by adding at the 

4 end the following new subparagraph: 

5 ‘‘(G) An individual described in section 

6 1720G(a)(2)(A)(ii) of this title.’’; and 

7 (B) in subsection (e)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘veteran’’ each place it 

9 appears (except for paragraph (2)(B)) and 

10 inserting ‘‘individual’’; and 

11 (ii) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

12 (I) by striking ‘‘a veteran’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘an individual’’; and 

14 (II) by striking ‘‘such veteran’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘such individual’’. 

16 (2) COUNSELING, TRAINING, AND MENTAL

17 HEALTH SERVICES.—Section 1782(c)(2) of such title 

18 is amended by striking ‘‘an eligible veteran or a 

19 caregiver of a covered veteran’’ and inserting ‘‘a vet20 eran who is an eligible individual or a caregiver of 

21 a veteran who is a covered individual’’. 


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•HR 4816 IH

1 SEC. 7. DECLASSIFICATION BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

2 OF CERTAIN INCIDENTS OF EXPOSURE OF 

3 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO TOXIC 

4 SUBSTANCES. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may de6 classify documents related to any known incident in which 

7 not less than 100 members of the Armed Forces were ex8 posed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one 

9 case of a disability that a member of the medical profes10 sion has determined to be associated with that toxic sub11 stance. 

12 (b) LIMITATION.—The declassification authorized by 

13 subsection (a) shall be limited to information necessary 

14 for an individual who was potentially exposed to a toxic 

15 substance to determine the following: 

16 (1) Whether that individual was exposed to that 

17 toxic substance. 

18 (2) The potential severity of the exposure of 

19 that individual to that toxic substance. 

20 (3) Any potential health conditions that may 

21 have resulted from exposure to that toxic substance. 

22 (c) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of Defense is not re23 quired to declassify documents if the Secretary determines 

24 that declassification of those documents would materially 

25 and immediately threaten the security of the United 

26 States. 


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•HR 4816 IH

1 SEC. 8. NATIONAL OUTREACH CAMPAIGN ON POTENTIAL 

2 LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE 

3 TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES BY MEMBERS OF THE 

4 ARMED FORCES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS. 

5 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of 

6 Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Defense 

7 shall jointly conduct a national outreach and education 

8 campaign directed towards members of the Armed Forces, 

9 veterans, and their family members to communicate the 

10 following information: 

11 (1) Information on— 

12 (A) incidents of exposure of members of 

13 the Armed Forces to toxic substances; 

14 (B) health conditions resulting from such 

15 exposure; and 

16 (C) the potential long-term effects of such 

17 exposure on the individuals exposed to those 

18 substances and the descendants of those indi19 viduals. 

20 (2) Information on the national center estab21 lished under section 3 of this Act for individuals eli22 gible for treatment at the center. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS