I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7091 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to require medical facilities of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to share certain data with State cancer 
registries, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 25, 2024 
Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia (for herself and Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, 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 amend title 38, United States Code, to require medical 
facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to share 
certain data with State cancer registries, 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 ‘‘Counting Veterans’ 
Cancer Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to 2017 data from National Pro-
gram of Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, approximately 26,500 can-
cer cases among veterans were not reported to State 
cancer registries funded through such Program. 
(2) Established by Congress in 1992 through 
the Cancer Registries Amendment Act (Public Law 
102–515), the National Program of Cancer Reg-
istries under section 399B of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280e) collects data on cancer 
occurrence (including the type, extent, and location 
of the cancer), the type of initial treatment, and out-
comes. 
(3) The Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention support central cancer registries in 46 
States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, cer-
tain territories of the United States in the Pacific 
Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. 
(4) The data obtained by registries described in 
paragraph (3) combined with data from the Surveil-
lance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of 
the National Cancer Institute and mortality data 
from National Center for Health Statistics of the 
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention com-
prise the official United States Cancer Statistics. 
(5) The United States Cancer Statistics reflect 
all newly diagnosed cancer cases and cancer deaths 
for the entire population of the United States, ex-
cept for unreported veterans. 
(6) Federal law requires the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention and the National Can-
cer Institute to collect cancer data for all newly di-
agnosed cancer cases, but that currently cannot be 
achieved due to frequent lack of reporting by med-
ical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(7) Releasing all data from medical facilities of 
the Department to State cancer registries will pro-
vide more complete data for health care providers, 
public health officials, and researchers to— 
(A) measure cancer occurrence and trends 
at the local and national level; 
(B) inform and prioritize cancer edu-
cational and screening programs; 
(C) evaluate efficacy of prevention efforts 
and treatment; 
(D) determine survival rates; 
(E) conduct research on the etiology, diag-
nosis, and treatment of cancer; 
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(F) ensure quality and equity in cancer 
care; and 
(G) plan for health services. 
(8) Capturing cancer data from medical facili-
ties of the Department in State cancer registries and 
the United States Cancer Statistics can benefit vet-
erans by— 
(A) improving the ability to identify can-
cer-related disparities in the veteran commu-
nity; 
(B) improving understanding of the can-
cer-related needs of veterans, which can be in-
corporated into State Comprehensive Cancer 
Control planning for screening and treatment 
programs funded by the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention; and 
(C) increasing opportunities for veterans 
with cancer to be included in more clinical trials 
and cancer-related research and analysis being 
done outside of the health care system of the 
Department. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to im-
prove care for veterans by ensuring all data on veterans 
diagnosed with cancer are captured by the national cancer 
registry programs supported by the National Program of 
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Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End 
Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. 
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT THAT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS SHARE DATA WITH STATE CANCER 
REGISTRIES. 
(a) SHARING OF DATA WITH STATE CANCER REG-
ISTRIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 7330E. Sharing of data with State cancer registries 
‘‘(a) SHARING BY THE DEPARTMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall share 
with the State cancer registry of each State, if such 
a registry exists, qualifying data for all individuals 
who are residents of the State and have received 
health care under the laws administered by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS
RELATING
TO
DATA 
SHARED.—In sharing data under paragraph (1) with 
a State cancer registry, the Secretary shall comply 
with the requirements for non-Department facilities 
to report data, in a manner that is as complete and 
timely as possible, without requiring a data use 
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