SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Toxic Exposure Re-
search Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ARMED FORCE.—The term ‘‘Armed Force’’ 
means the United States Army, Navy, Marine 
Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard, including the re-
serve components thereof. 
(2) DESCENDANT.—The term ‘‘descendant’’ 
means, with respect to an individual, the biological 
child, grandchild, or great-grandchild of that indi-
vidual. 
(3) EXPOSED.—The term ‘‘exposed’’ means, 
with respect to a toxic substance, that an individual 
came into contact with that toxic substance in a 
manner that could be hazardous to the health of 
that individual, that may include if that toxic sub-
stance was inhaled, ingested, or touched the skin or 
eyes. 
(4) EXPOSURE.—The term ‘‘exposure’’ means, 
with respect to a toxic substance, an event during 
which an individual was exposed to that toxic sub-
stance. 
(5) TOXIC SUBSTANCE.—The term ‘‘toxic sub-
stance’’ means any substance determined by the Ad-
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ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
to be harmful to the environment or hazardous to 
the health of an individual if inhaled or ingested by 
or absorbed through the skin of that individual. 
(6) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON THE DIAG-
NOSIS AND TREATMENT OF HEALTH CONDI-
TIONS OF THE DESCENDANTS OF INDIVID-
UALS EXPOSED TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES DUR-
ING SERVICE IN THE ARMED FORCES THAT 
ARE RELATED TO SUCH SERVICE. 
(a) NATIONAL CENTER.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall, in consultation with 
the Advisory Board established under section 4, se-
lect a medical center of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to serve as the national center for research 
on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions 
of descendants of individuals exposed to toxic sub-
stances while serving as members of the Armed 
Forces that are related to such exposure (in this Act 
referred to as the ‘‘National Center’’). 
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(2) CRITERIA FOR SELECTION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The National Center 
shall be selected under paragraph (1) from 
among medical centers of the Department with 
expertise described in subparagraph (B), or 
that are affiliated with research medical centers 
or teaching hospitals with such expertise, that 
seek to be selected under this section. 
(B) EXPERTISE DESCRIBED.—The exper-
tise described in this subparagraph is— 
(i) expertise in diagnosing and treat-
ing functional and structural birth defects; 
or 
(ii) expertise in caring for individuals 
exposed to toxic substances and diagnosing 
and treating any health conditions result-
ing from such exposure. 
(C) PREFERENCE.—Preference for selec-
tion under paragraph (1) shall be given to med-
ical centers of the Department with expertise 
described in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph 
(B), or that are affiliated with research medical 
centers or teaching hospitals with such exper-
tise. 
(b) RESEARCH.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The National Center shall 
conduct research on the diagnosis and treatment of 
health conditions of descendants of individuals ex-
posed to toxic substances while serving as members 
of the Armed Forces that are related to that expo-
sure. 
(2) STUDIES.—In conducting research under 
paragraph (1), the National Center shall study indi-
viduals, at the election of the individual, for whom 
the Secretary has made one of the following deter-
minations: 
(A)(i) The individual is a descendant of an 
individual who served as a member of the 
Armed Forces; 
(ii) such member was exposed to a toxic 
substance while serving as a member of the 
Armed Forces; and 
(iii) such descendant is afflicted with a 
health condition that is related to the exposure 
of such member to such toxic substance. 
(B)(i) The individual was exposed to a 
toxic substance while serving as a member of 
the Armed Forces; and 
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(ii) such individual is afflicted with a 
health condition that is related to the exposure 
of such individual to such toxic substance. 
(3) USE OF RECORDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of De-
fense or the head of a Federal agency shall 
make available to the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs for review records held by the Department 
of Defense, an Armed Force, or that Federal 
agency, as appropriate, that might assist the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs in making the de-
terminations required by paragraph (2). 
(B) MECHANISM.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense or 
the head of the appropriate Federal agency 
shall jointly establish a mechanism for the 
availability and review of records by the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs under subparagraph 
(A). 
(c) SOCIAL WORKERS.—The National Center shall 
employ not less than one licensed clinical social worker to 
coordinate access of individuals to appropriate Federal, 
State, and local social and healthcare programs and to 
handle case management. 
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(d) REIMBURSEMENT FOR NECESSARY TRAVEL AND 
ROOM AND BOARD.—The National Center shall reimburse 
any individual participating in a study pursuant to sub-
section (b), and any parent, guardian, spouse, or sibling 
who accompanies such individual, for the reasonable cost 
of— 
(1) travel to the National Center for participa-
tion in such study; and 
(2) room and board during the period in which 
such individual is participating in such study at the 
National Center. 
(e) REPORTS.— 
(1) ANNUAL REPORT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not less frequently 
than annually, the National Center shall submit 
to Congress and the Advisory Board established 
under section 4 a report on the functions of the 
National Center during the year preceding the 
submittal of the report that includes a sum-
mary of the research efforts of the National 
Center that have been completed during such 
year and that are ongoing as of the date of the 
submittal of the report. 
(B) UPON REQUEST.—Upon the request of 
any organization exempt from taxation under 
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