HR 299 RFS
Thailand who is suffering from spina bifida the health 
care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary 
allowance required to be paid to a child of a Vietnam vet-
eran who is suffering from spina bifida under subchapter 
I of this chapter as if such child of a veteran of covered 
service in Thailand were a child of a Vietnam veteran who 
is suffering from spina bifida under such subchapter. 
‘‘(b) SPINA BIFIDA CONDITIONS COVERED.—This 
section applies with respect to all forms and manifesta-
tions of spina bifida, except spina bifida occulta. 
‘‘(c) VETERAN
OF COVERED SERVICE
IN THAI-
LAND.—For purposes of this section, a veteran of covered 
service in Thailand is any individual, without regard to 
the characterization of that individual’s service, who— 
‘‘(1) served in the active military, naval, or air 
service in Thailand, as determined by the Secretary 
in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, dur-
ing the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and 
ending on May 7, 1975; and 
‘‘(2) is determined by the Secretary, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Defense, to have been 
exposed to a herbicide agent during such service in 
Thailand. 
‘‘(d) HERBICIDE AGENT.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘herbicide agent’ means a chemical in a her-
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bicide used in support of United States and allied military 
operations in Thailand, as determined by the Secretary in 
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, during the pe-
riod beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 
7, 1975.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO DEFINITION OF 
‘‘CHILD’’.—Section 1831(1) of such title is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘subchapter III of this 
chapter’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1821 of this 
title’’; and 
(B) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘section 1821 
of this title’’ and inserting ‘‘that section’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(C) For purposes of section 1822 of this 
title, an individual, regardless of age or marital 
status, who— 
‘‘(i) is the natural child of a veteran 
of covered service in Thailand (as deter-
mined for purposes of that section); and 
‘‘(ii) was conceived after the date on 
which that veteran first entered service de-
scribed in subsection (c) of that section.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 
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(1) SUBCHAPTER HEADING.—The heading for 
subchapter III of chapter 18 of such title is amend-
ed 
by 
inserting 
‘‘AND 
THAILAND’’ 
after 
‘‘KOREA’’. 
(2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 18 of such title is 
amended— 
(A) by striking the item relating to sub-
chapter III and inserting the following new 
item: 
‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—CHILDREN OF CERTAIN KOREA AND THAILAND SERVICE 
VETERANS BORN WITH SPINA BIFIDA’’; 
and 
(B) by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1821 the following new item: 
‘‘1822. Benefits for children of certain Thailand service veterans born with spina 
bifida.’’. 
(d) PENDING CASES.— 
(1) AUTHORITY TO STAY.—The Secretary may 
stay a claim described in subparagraph (B) until the 
date on which the Secretary commences the imple-
mentation of section 1822 of title 38, United States 
Code, as added by subsection (a). 
(2) CLAIMS DESCRIBED.—A claim described in 
this subparagraph is a claim for benefits— 
(A) relating to the spina bifida and service 
covered by such section 1822; and 
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(B) that is pending at the Veterans Bene-
fits Administration or the Board of Veterans’ 
Appeals on or after the date of the enactment 
of this Act and before the date on which the 
Secretary commences the implementation of 
such section 1822. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, 
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate a report 
identifying— 
(1) the military installations of the United 
States located in Thailand during the period begin-
ning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 
1975, at which an herbicide agent (as defined in sec-
tion 1822 of title 38, United States Code, as added 
by subsection (a)) was actively used; and 
(2) the period of such use. 
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on January 1, 2019. 
SEC. 5. UPDATED REPORT ON CERTAIN GULF WAR ILLNESS 
STUDY. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
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submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate an updated re-
port on the findings, as of the date of the updated report, 
of the Follow-up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War 
and Gulf Era Veterans under the epidemiology program 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
SEC. 6. LOANS GUARANTEED UNDER HOME LOAN PRO-
GRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS. 
(a) 
ADJUSTMENT
OF
LOAN
LIMIT.—Section 
3703(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)(i)(IV)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘the lesser of’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or 25 percent of the 
loan’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘Freddie 
Mac’’ and all that follows through the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘amount of the loan.’’. 
(b) LOAN FEES.—Section 3729(b)(2) of such title is 
amended by striking the loan fee table and inserting the 
following: 
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