I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2237 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans to establish within the Department 
of Veterans Affairs a center of excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, 
mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of health conditions relating 
to exposure to burn pits. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 5, 2015 
Ms. ESTY (for herself and Mr. MCDERMOTT) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans to establish within the 
Department of Veterans Affairs a center of excellence 
in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and 
rehabilitation of health conditions relating to exposure 
to burn pits. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helping Veterans Ex-
posed to Burn Pits Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN PREVENTION, DIAG-
NOSIS, MITIGATION, TREATMENT, AND REHA-
BILITATION OF HEALTH CONDITIONS RELAT-
ING TO EXPOSURE TO BURN PITS AND OTHER 
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall establish within the Department of Veterans 
Affairs a center of excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, 
mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of health condi-
tions relating to exposure to burn pits and other environ-
mental exposures to carry out the responsibilities specified 
in subsection (d). Such center shall be established using— 
(1) the directives, policies, and Comptroller 
General and Inspector General recommendations in 
effect as of the date of the enactment of this Act; 
and 
(2) guidance issued pursuant to section 313 of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2013 (Public Law 112–239; 126 Stat. 1692; 
10 U.S.C. 1074 note). 
(b) SELECTION OF SITES.—In selecting the site for 
the center of excellence established under subsection (a), 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consider entities 
that— 
(1) are equipped with the specialized equipment 
needed to study, diagnose, and treat health condi-
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tions relating to exposure to burn pits and other en-
vironmental exposures; 
(2) have a publication track record of post-de-
ployment health exposures among veterans who 
served in the Armed Forces in support of Operation 
Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; 
(3) have collaborated with a geosciences depart-
ment that has a medical geology division; 
(4) have developed animal models and in vitro 
models of dust immunology and lung injury con-
sistent with the injuries of members of the Armed 
Forces who served in support of Operation Iraqi 
Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; and 
(5) have expertise in allergy and immunology, 
pulmonary diseases, and industrial and management 
engineering. 
(c) COLLABORATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that the center of excellence collaborates, to the maximum 
extent practicable, with the Secretary of Defense, institu-
tions of higher education, and other appropriate public 
and private entities (including international entities) to 
carry out the responsibilities specified in subsection (d). 
(d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The center of excellence 
shall have the following responsibilities: 
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(1) To provide for the development, testing, and 
dissemination within the Department of Veterans 
Affairs of best practices for the treatment of health 
conditions relating to exposure to burn pits and 
other environmental exposures. 
(2) To provide guidance for the health system 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the De-
partment of Defense in determining the personnel 
required to provide quality health care for members 
of the Armed Forces and veterans with health condi-
tions relating to exposure to burn pits and other en-
vironmental exposures. 
(3) To establish, implement, and oversee a com-
prehensive program to train health professionals of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Depart-
ment of Defense in the treatment of health condi-
tions relating to exposure to burn pits and other en-
vironmental exposures. 
(4) To facilitate advancements in the study of 
the short-term and long-term effects of exposure to 
burn pits and other environmental exposures. 
(5) To disseminate within the military medical 
treatment facilities of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs best practices for training health profes-
sionals with respect to health conditions relating to 
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exposure to burn pits and other environmental expo-
sures. 
(6) To conduct basic science and translational 
research on health conditions relating to exposure to 
burn pits and other environmental exposures for the 
purposes of understanding the etiology of such con-
ditions and developing preventive interventions and 
new treatments. 
(7) To provide medical treatment to all veterans 
identified as part of the burn pits registry estab-
lished under section 201 of the Dignified Burial and 
Other Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 
(Public Law 112–260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note). 
(e) USE OF BURN PITS REGISTRY DATA.—In car-
rying out its responsibilities under subsection (d), the cen-
ter shall have access to and make use of the data accumu-
lated by the burn pits registry established under section 
201 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans’ Benefits 
Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–260; 38 
U.S.C. 527 note). 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘burn pit’’ means an area of land 
located in Afghanistan or Iraq that— 
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(A) is designated by the Secretary of De-
fense to be used for disposing solid waste by 
burning in the outdoor air; and 
(B) does not contain a commercially manu-
factured incinerator or other equipment specifi-
cally designed and manufactured for the burn-
ing of solid waste. 
(2) The term ‘‘other environmental exposures’’ 
means exposure to environmental hazards, including 
burn pits, dust or sand, hazardous materials, and 
waste at any site in Afghanistan or Iraq that emits 
smoke containing pollutants present in the environ-
ment or smoke from fires or explosions. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2021. 
Æ 
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