H. R. 3218—23 
SEC. 311. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY OF STATE APPROVING 
AGENCY PERFORMANCE. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall carry out a study on the performance of State approving 
agencies. Such study shall include each of the following: 
(1) An analysis of the effectiveness of the cooperation 
between the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and State approving 
agencies regarding the execution of shared compliance and 
oversight responsibilities under chapter 36 of title 38, United 
States Code. 
(2) An analysis of the resources necessary for State 
approving agencies to fulfill the responsibilities of such agencies 
under such title, including an analysis of whether Congress 
has appropriated sufficient funds for State approving agencies 
to fulfill such responsibilities and the historic effect of funding 
on the ability of such agencies to fulfill such responsibilities. 
(3) An evaluation of the use by State approving agencies 
of risk-based methods of review for identifying violations of 
established standards under such chapter. 
(4) An examination of how State approving agencies use 
risk factors, including rapid increases in veteran enrollment, 
increases in the amount of benefits per capita, volume of stu-
dent complaints, rates of Federal student loan defaults of vet-
erans, veteran completion rates, deficiencies identified by 
accreditors and other State agencies, and deficiencies in Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs program administration compliance, 
in their oversight and compliance responsibilities and in 
selecting educational institutions for review of eligibility. 
(5) Recommendations on how the Secretary and State 
approving agencies can better use data to evaluate, approve, 
or disapprove educational institutions under such chapter. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
submit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Veterans’ 
Affairs of the House of Representatives, a report on the study 
required under subsection (a) and the findings and recommenda-
tions of the Comptroller General with respect to such study. 
TITLE IV—RESERVE COMPONENT 
BENEFITS 
SEC. 401. ELIGIBILITY OF RESERVE COMPONENT MEMBERS FOR POST- 
9/11 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3301(1)(B) is amended by striking 
‘‘or 12304’’ and inserting ‘‘12304, 12304a, or 12304b’’. 
(b) RETROACTIVE APPLICATION.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a) shall apply with respect to service in the Armed Forces 
occurring on or after the date of the enactment of the Post-9/ 
11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Public Law 110– 
252). 
(c) APPLICATION WITH RESPECT TO USE OF ENTITLEMENT.— 
An individual who is entitled to educational assistance by reason 
of the amendment made by subsection (a) may use such entitlement
H. R. 3218—24 
to pursue a course of education beginning on or after August 1, 
2018. 
SEC. 402. TIME LIMITATION FOR TRAINING AND REHABILITATION FOR 
VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES. 
Section 3103(f) is amended by striking ‘‘or 12304’’ and inserting 
‘‘12304, 12304a, or 12304b’’. 
TITLE V—OTHER MATTERS 
SEC. 501. REPEAL INAPPLICABILITY OF MODIFICATION OF BASIC 
ALLOWANCE FOR HOUSING TO BENEFITS UNDER LAWS 
ADMINISTERED BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) REPEAL.—Subsection (b) of section 604 of the Carl Levin 
and Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 37 U.S.C. 403 
note) is repealed. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by subsection (a) 
shall take effect on January 1, 2018, and shall apply with respect 
to individuals who first use their entitlement to educational assist-
ance under chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, on or after 
such date. 
SEC. 502. RECONSIDERATION OF PREVIOUSLY DENIED CLAIMS FOR 
DISABILITY COMPENSATION FOR VETERANS WHO ALLEGE 
FULL-BODY EXPOSURE TO NITROGEN MUSTARD GAS, 
SULFUR MUSTARD GAS, OR LEWISITE DURING WORLD WAR 
II. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) RECONSIDERATION
REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall reconsider all claims for compensation 
described in paragraph (2) and make a new determination 
regarding each such claim. 
(2) CLAIMS FOR COMPENSATION DESCRIBED.—A claim for 
compensation described in this paragraph is a claim for com-
pensation under chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, 
that the Secretary determines— 
(A) arose from the alleged full-body exposure of a vet-
eran to a covered substance— 
(i) during active military, naval, or air service 
during World War II; and 
(ii) at a site listed in paragraph (3); and 
(B) was denied before the date of the enactment of 
this Act. 
(3) SITES.—The sites listed in this paragraph are the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Camp Siebert, Alabama. 
(B) Fort McClellan, Alabama. 
(C) Huntsville Arsenal, Alabama. 
(D) Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado. 
(E) Naval Research Laboratory, D.C. 
(F) Bushnell Field, Florida. 
(G) Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Illinois. 
(H) Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. 
(I) Fort Detrick, Maryland. 
(J) Naval Research Laboratory, Maryland. 
(K) Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland.
H. R. 3218—25 
(L) Horn Island Installation, Mississippi. 
(M) Camp Crowder, Missouri. 
(N) Hart’s Island, New York. 
(O) Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. 
(P) Charleston, South Carolina. 
(Q) Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. 
(R) Toole Army Depot, Utah. 
(S) Naval Research Laboratory, Virginia. 
(T) U.S.S. Eagle Boat No. 58. 
(U) Ondal, India. 
(V) Fort Clayton, San Jose Island, Panama. 
(W) Any site the Secretary of Veterans Affairs deter-
mines is appropriate. 
(4) FACTORS OF CONSIDERATION.—In making a determina-
tion under paragraph (1), the Secretary— 
(A) shall consider— 
(i) that contemporaneous records of testing of full- 
body exposure to a covered substance frequently may 
be unavailable because such tests were classified or 
such records were lost or destroyed; 
(ii) that many veterans were sworn to secrecy fol-
lowing testing described in clause (i); 
(iii) each statement based on personal knowledge 
of a veteran who served at a site listed in paragraph 
(3); 
(iv) information in the report from the Secretary 
of Defense under subsection (b)(2); and 
(v) any evidence the Secretary considers relevant; 
and 
(B) may not determine that testing of full-body expo-
sure to a covered substance did not occur at a site based 
solely on— 
(i) information contained in the Department of 
Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Chemical 
Biological Warfare Database; or 
(ii) any list of known sites of testing of full-body 
exposure to a covered substance maintained by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department 
of Defense. 
(5) PRESUMPTION OF EXPOSURE.—In carrying out paragraph 
(1), when the Secretary of Veterans Affairs makes a determina-
tion regarding whether a veteran experienced full-body expo-
sure to a covered substance, the Secretary— 
(A) shall presume, unless there is affirmative evidence 
to establish otherwise, that the veteran experienced such 
exposure by reason of the service of the veteran in World 
War II— 
(i) based on the locations listed in paragraph (3); 
and 
(ii) consistent with the places, types, and cir-
cumstances of service of the veteran in accordance 
with section 1154 of title 38; and 
(B) shall resolve each reasonable doubt in favor of 
the veteran. 
(6) EFFECTIVE DATE OF AWARD.—The effective date of any 
award of disability compensation resulting from reconsideration 
of a claim under paragraph (1) shall be fixed in accordance
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with the facts found, but shall not be earlier than the date 
of the receipt of the claim for compensation described in para-
graph (2). 
(b) INVESTIGATION
AND
REPORT
BY
THE
SECRETARY
OF 
DEFENSE.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall— 
(1) investigate and assess each site— 
(A) where the Army Corps of Engineers has uncovered 
evidence of testing conducted by the Department of Defense 
during World War II to assess the effects of full-body 
exposure to a covered substance on humans; or 
(B) with regards to which more than two veterans 
have been denied claims for compensation under chapter 
11 of title 38, United States Code, in connection with 
exposure to a covered substance at such site; and 
(2) submit to the appropriate congressional committees and 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a report on testing described 
in paragraph (1)(A), including— 
(A) a list of each location where such testing occurred, 
including locations investigated and assessed under para-
graph (1); 
(B) the dates of each such testing; and 
(C) the number of members of the Armed Forces who 
experienced full-body exposure to a covered substance in 
each such testing. 
(c) INVESTIGATION AND REPORT BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— 
(1) investigate and assess— 
(A) the actions taken by the Secretary to contact 
individuals who experienced full-body exposure to a covered 
substance in the course of testing described in subsection 
(b)(1)(A); 
(B) the number of claims filed with the Secretary for 
disability compensation under chapter 11 of title 38, United 
States Code, arising from testing described in subsection 
(b)(1)(A); and 
(C) the percentage of claims described in subparagraph 
(B) that the Secretary denied. 
(2) submit to the appropriate congressional committees and 
the Secretary of Defense a report regarding the investigations 
and assessments carried out under paragraph (1). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The terms ‘‘active military, naval, or air service’’, ‘‘vet-
eran’’, and ‘‘World War II’’ have the meanings given such terms 
in section 101 of title 38, United States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 
means— 
(A) the Committees on Armed Services of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate; and 
(B) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate. 
(3) The term ‘‘covered substance’’ means— 
(A) nitrogen mustard gas; 
(B) sulfur mustard gas; or 
(C) Lewisite.
H. R. 3218—27 
(4) The term ‘‘full-body exposure’’, with respect to a covered 
substance, has the meaning given that term by the Secretary 
of Defense. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.