I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4517 
To authorize the provision of health care for certain individuals exposed 
to environmental hazards at Atsugi Naval Air Facility, to establish an 
advisory board to examine exposures to environmental hazards at such 
Air Facility, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 29, 2014 
Mr. SCHRADER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ 
Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize the provision of health care for certain individ-
uals exposed to environmental hazards at Atsugi Naval 
Air Facility, to establish an advisory board to examine 
exposures to environmental hazards at such Air Facility, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Examination of Expo-
sures to Environmental Hazards During Military Service 
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and Health Care for Atsugi Naval Air Facility Veterans 
and their Families Act of 2014’’. 
SEC. 2. ADVISORY BOARD ON ENVIRONMENTAL EXPO-
SURES AT ATSUGI NAVAL AIR FACILITY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense and 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly establish an 
advisory board (to be known as the ‘‘Advisory Board on 
Environmental Exposures at Atsugi Naval Air Facility’’) 
to provide expert advice to the Department of Defense and 
the Department of Veterans Affairs on matters relating 
to the exposure of current and former members of the 
Armed Forces and their dependants to environmental haz-
ards at Atsugi Naval Air Facility, Japan, during the pe-
riod beginning in 1983, as determined by the Advisory 
Board, in which the air, water, or soil at Atsugi Naval 
Air Facility were contaminated due to an incinerator. 
(b) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Board shall consist 
of seven members, appointed by the President, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, of whom— 
(1) two members shall be members of military 
service organizations or organizations recognized by 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 5902 
of title 38, United States Code (commonly referred 
to as ‘‘veterans service organizations’’); 
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(2) two members shall be officials of appro-
priate Federal agencies, other than the Department 
of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
with experience in environmental exposure or envi-
ronmental exposure assessments, health monitoring, 
or other relevant fields; and 
(3) three members shall be scientists who— 
(A) have backgrounds in environmental ex-
posure or environmental exposure assessments, 
health monitoring, or other relevant fields; and 
(B) are not officials or employees of the 
Federal Government. 
(c) APPOINTMENTS.— 
(1) DEADLINE.—All members of the Advisory 
Board shall be appointed not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) DURATION.—Members of the Advisory 
Board shall serve for three-year terms, subject to re-
newal, but not longer than six years in total. 
(3) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Advisory 
Board shall be filled in the manner in which the 
original appointment was made. 
(d) CHAIRPERSON.—The members of the Advisory 
Board shall select from among its membership a Chair-
person to serve a one-year term. 
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(e) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the 
Board shall constitute a quorum. 
(f) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet at the call of 
the Chairperson. 
(g) COMPENSATION.— 
(1) OFFICERS
OF
THE
FEDERAL
GOVERN-
MENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A member of the Board 
who is an employee of the Federal Government 
may not receive additional pay, allowances, or 
benefits by reason of the member’s service on 
the Board. 
(B) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each such mem-
ber of the Board shall receive travel expenses, 
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in ac-
cordance with applicable provisions under sub-
chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(2) OTHER MEMBERS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), a member of the Advisory 
Board who is not an employee of the Federal 
Government— 
(i) shall be paid compensation out of 
funds made available for the purposes of 
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this title at the daily equivalent of the 
highest rate payable under section 5332 of 
title 5, United States Code, for each day 
(including travel time) during which the 
member is engaged in the actual perform-
ance of duties as a member of the Advisory 
Board; and 
(ii) while away from the member’s 
home or regular place of business on nec-
essary travel in the actual performance of 
duties as a member of the Advisory Board, 
shall be paid per diem, travel, and trans-
portation expenses in the same manner as 
is provided under subchapter I of chapter 
57 of title 5, United States Code. 
(B) LIMITATION.—A member of the Advi-
sory Board may not be paid compensation 
under subparagraph (A)(ii) for more than 120 
days in any calendar year. 
(h) STAFF.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of the Ad-
visory Board may, without regard to the civil service 
laws and regulations, appoint an executive director 
of the Advisory Board, who shall be a civilian em-
ployee of the Department of Defense, and such other 
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personnel as may be necessary to enable the Advi-
sory Board to perform its duties. The appointment 
of an executive director shall be subject to approval 
by the Advisory Board. 
(2) COMPENSATION.—The Chairperson of the 
Advisory Board may fix the compensation of the ex-
ecutive director and other personnel without regard 
to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III 
of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating 
to classification of positions and General Schedule 
pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the execu-
tive director and other personnel may not exceed the 
rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule 
under section 5316 of such title. 
(i) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Upon 
request of the Chairperson of the Advisory Board, the 
head of any Federal department or agency may detail, on 
a nonreimbursable basis, any personnel of that depart-
ment or agency to the Advisory Board to assist it in car-
rying out its duties. 
(j) TERMINATION.—Notwithstanding section 14 of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), the 
Advisory Board shall terminate on the date that is 12 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
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SEC. 3. CONSIDERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES 
AT ATSUGI NAVAL AIR FACILITY, JAPAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The purpose of the Advisory 
Board established under section 3 is to consider and study 
cases of exposure of current and former members of the 
Armed forces and their dependants to potential environ-
mental hazards at Atsugi Naval Air Facility, Japan, dur-
ing the period beginning in 1983, as determined by the 
Advisory Board, in which the air, water, or soil at Atsugi 
Naval Air Facility were contaminated due to an inciner-
ator. The Advisory Board shall evaluate claims related to 
hazardous environmental exposures at such Air Facility 
that are submitted to the Advisory Board by members of 
the Armed Forces, veterans, dependants of members of 
the Armed Forces and veterans, veterans advocacy groups, 
and officials of the Department of Defense and the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs with responsibility or experi-
ence monitoring the health of current and former members 
of the Armed Forces. 
(b) CONSIDERATION OF EXPOSURE CLAIMS.—Not 
later than 180 days after receiving such a claim, the Advi-
sory Board shall consider the claim and take one of the 
following actions: 
(1) If the Advisory Board determines that fur-
ther consideration of the claim is necessary to ade-
quately assess the extent of exposure, the Advisory 
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Board shall convene a science review panel under 
subsection (c) to make such assessment and report 
its findings to the Advisory Board. 
(2) If the Advisory Board determines that the 
extent of exposure is insufficient to warrant further 
consideration of the claim, the Advisory Board shall 
make a recommendation of such finding to the Sec-
retary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs. 
(3) If the Advisory Board determines that dur-
ing the time period covered by such claim, members 
of the Armed Forces and their dependants were ex-
posed to sufficient amounts of environmental haz-
ards to warrant health care or compensation, the 
Advisory Board shall submit to the Secretary of De-
fense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a report 
that includes the following: 
(A) Recommendations that— 
(i) such members should receive— 
(I) health care benefits through 
the Department of Defense specifi-
cally designed to address such expo-
sure, as determined by the Secretary 
of Defense; or 
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