H. R. 2535
One Hundred Third Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three
An Act
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide additional authority for the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide health care for veterans of the Persian
Gulf War.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE PRIORITY HEALTH CARE TO VET-
ERANS OF THE PERSIAN GULF WAR.
(a) INPATIENT CARE.—(1) Section 1710(a)(1)(G) of title 38,
United States Code, is amended by striking out ‘‘or radiation’’
and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘, radiation, or environmental hazard’’.
(2) Section 1710(e) of such title is amended—
(A) by inserting at the end of paragraph (1) the following
new subparagraph:
‘‘(C) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, a
veteran who the Secretary finds may have been exposed while
serving on active duty in the Southwest Asia theater of operations
during the Persian Gulf War to a toxic substance or environmental
hazard is eligible for hospital care and nursing home care under
subsection (a)(1)(G) of this section for any disability, notwithstand-
ing that there is insufficient medical evidence to conclude that
such disability may be associated with such exposure.’’;
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking out ‘‘subparagraph (A)
or (B)’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘subparagraph (A), (B),
or (C)’’; and
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking out the period at the
end and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘, or, in the case of care
for a veteran described in paragraph (1)(C), after December
31, 1994.’’.
(b) OUTPATIENT
CARE.—Section 1712(a) of such title is
amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)—
(A) by striking out ‘‘and’’ at the end of subparagraph
(B);
(B) by striking out the period at the end of subpara-
graph (C) and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘; and’’; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(D) during the period before December 31, 1994, for any
disability in the case of a veteran who served on active duty
in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian
Gulf War and who the Secretary finds may have been exposed
to a toxic substance or environmental hazard during such serv-
ice, notwithstanding that there is insufficient medical evidence
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H. R. 2535—2
to conclude that the disability may be associated with such
exposure.’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(7) Medical services may not be furnished under paragraph
(1)(D) with respect to a disability that is found, in accordance
with guidelines issued by the Under Secretary for Health, to have
resulted from a cause other than an exposure described in that
paragraph.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—(1) The amendments made by subsections
(a) and (b) shall take effect as of August 2, 1990.
(2) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, upon request,
reimburse any veteran who paid the United States an amount
under section 1710(f) or 1712(f) of title 38, United States Code,
as the case may be, for hospital care, nursing home care, or out-
patient services furnished by the Secretary to the veteran before
the date of the enactment of this Act on the basis of a finding
that the veteran may have been exposed to a toxic substance
or environmental hazard during the Persian Gulf War. The amount
of the reimbursement shall be the amount that was paid by the
veteran for such care or services under such section 1710(f) or
1712(f).
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN HEALTH CARE AND OTHER AUTHORI-
TIES.
(a) ELIGIBILITY FOR CARE FOR EXPOSURE TO DIOXIN OR IONIZING
RADIATION.—Section 1710(e)(3) of title 38, United States Code, as
amended by section 1(a)(2)(C), is further amended by striking out
‘‘December 31, 1993’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘June 30, 1994’’.
(b) ELIGIBILITY
FOR SEXUAL TRAUMA COUNSELING.—Section
102(b) of the Women Veterans Health Programs Act of 1992 (Public
Law 102–585; 38 U.S.C. 1720D note) is amended—
(1) by striking out ‘‘December 31, 1991,’’ and inserting
in lieu thereof ‘‘December 31, 1992,’’; and
(2) by striking out ‘‘December 31, 1993’’ and inserting in
lieu thereof ‘‘December 31, 1994’’.
(c) AUTHORITY TO MAINTAIN REGIONAL OFFICE IN THE PHIL-
IPPINES.—Section 315(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended
by striking out ‘‘March 31, 1994’’ and inserting in lieu thereof
‘‘December 31, 1994’’.
(d) AUTHORITY
FOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE
ON EDUCATION.—
Section 3692(c) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by
striking out ‘‘December 31, 1993’’ and inserting in lieu thereof
‘‘December 31, 1994’’.
SEC. 3. SHARING OF RESOURCES WITH STATE HOMES.
(a) PURPOSE.—Section 8151 of title 38, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘It is further
the purpose of this subchapter to improve the provision of care
to veterans under this title by authorizing the Secretary to enter
into agreements with State veterans facilities for the sharing of
health-care resources.’’.
(b) DEFINITION.—Section 8152 of such title is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new para-
graph (3):
‘‘(3) The term ‘health-care resource’ includes hospital care,
medical services, and rehabilitative services, as those terms
are defined in paragraphs (5), (6), and (8), respectively, of
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