I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 798
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to establish a permanent, confidential database and toll-free tele-
phone line for the collection of medical information concerning members
of the Armed Forces and veterans.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 2, 1995
Mr. GEJDENSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to establish a permanent, con-
fidential database and toll-free telephone line for the
collection of medical information concerning members of
the Armed Forces and veterans.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. VETERANS’ MEDICAL DATABASE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 17 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end of sub-
chapter I the following new section:
‘‘§ 1705. Confidential medical history database
‘‘(a) In order to provide information for the detection
of patterns of illnesses among members of the Armed
Forces and veterans, the Secretary shall maintain a
database consisting of the medical histories of individuals
described in subsection (c), together with their military
service histories and relevant personal information. The
Secretary shall ensure that the information in the
database is maintained in a format that is compatible with
information in other health registries maintained by the
Secretary.
‘‘(b) The Secretary shall regularly monitor the
database for patterns of illnesses that may correlate to
military service or to military service in particular areas,
at particular times, or in particular service specialities.
‘‘(c) The database shall be compiled concerning the
medical history of individuals who as members of the
Armed Forces are deployed for any operational mission
(beginning with the operation in Somalia in 1992–1993)
and the spouses and children of those members.
‘‘(d) Information may be included in the database
concerning an individual only with the permission of that
individual (or, in the case of a child, a parent of that
child). The identity of any individual providing informa-
tion for inclusion in the database of information shall be
confidential, and information provided by any such indi-
vidual may not, without the consent of that individual, be
disclosed outside the Department or to any other entity
within the Department in a manner that would enable the
identification of the individual providing the information.
‘‘(e)(1) The Secretary shall maintain a toll-free tele-
phone number to be available for members of the Armed
Forces and veterans to report to the Secretary information
for inclusion in the database. The Secretary shall staff the
number with employees of the Department. Employees
staffing the number shall obtain information for the
database relating to symptoms and medical history, mili-
tary service history, and personal information in as uni-
form manner as possible.
‘‘(2) In establishing the toll-free telephone number re-
porting system under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
consult with the Secretary of Defense and representatives
of veterans service organizations recognized by the Sec-
retary under section 5902 of this title to determine the
appropriate information to be sought from members and
veterans calling that number.
‘‘(f) With the permission of the member or veteran,
the Secretary shall include in the database information
concerning a member or veteran (or the spouse or child
of the member or veteran) from the following sources:
‘‘(1) A claim for disability benefits filed with
the Department.
‘‘(2) A medical history in the custody of the
Secretary of Defense.
‘‘(3) Information from health screenings con-
ducted by the Secretary.
‘‘(g) The Secretary shall (subject to subsection (d))
make information in the database available to accredited
institutions of higher education and any other institution
the Secretary considers appropriate for medical studies
and related research activities. The Secretary shall make
available to such institutions general statistical informa-
tion concerning information in the database.
‘‘(h) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees
on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives an annual report on the operation of the
database and the toll-free telephone number under this
section. The Secretary shall include in the report—
‘‘(1) information on the number of persons pro-
viding information for inclusion in the database;
‘‘(2) the current status of monitoring of the
database under subsection (b) for detection of pat-
terns of illnesses; and
‘‘(3) the types of illnesses recorded in the
database and the number of cases of each such ill-
ness.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 1704 the following new
item:
‘‘1705. Confidential medical history database.’’.
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