A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve compensation for disabilities occurring in Persian Gulf War veterans, and for other purposes.
Bill: S.1039 | Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert (D-NJ)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill addresses disability compensation and care issues for Persian Gulf War veterans.
First, the bill expands eligibility for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to Persian Gulf War veterans who have a qualifying chronic disability that became manifest to any degree at any time.
Next, the VA must develop a Disability Benefits Questionnaire to be used by health care personnel to identify Gulf War illness if a Persian Gulf veteran presents with any one symptom associated with such illness.
The bill also expands who qualifies as a Persian Gulf veteran by including those who served in Afghanistan, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, or Jordan during the Persian Gulf War. Under current law, Persian Gulf veteran refers only to individuals who served on active duty during the Persian Gulf War in particular areas of the Arabian Peninsula.
Finally, the VA must ensure its health care personnel are appropriately trained to provide care to Persian Gulf veterans.

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve compensation for 
  disabilities occurring in Persian Gulf War veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. IMPROVING COMPENSATION FOR DISABILITIES OCCURRING IN PERSIAN 
              GULF WAR VETERANS.

    (a) Reduction in Threshold of Eligibility.--Subsection (a)(1) of 
section 1117 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking 
``became manifest--'' and all that follows through the period at the 
end and inserting ``became manifest to any degree at any time''.
    (b) Permanent Extension of Period of Eligibility.--
            (1) In general.--Such section is amended by striking 
        subsection (b).
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Such section, as amended by 
        paragraph (1), is further amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 
                subsections (b) and (c), respectively; and
                    (B) in subsection (a)(2)(C), by striking ``under 
                subsection (d)'' and inserting ``under subsection 
                (c)''.
    (c) Establishing Singular Disability Based Questionnaire.--Such 
section, as amended by subsection (b), is further amended by inserting 
after subsection (c) the following new subsection (d):
    ``(d) The Secretary shall develop a Disability Benefits 
Questionnaire (DBQ), or successor questionnaire, such that if a Persian 
Gulf veteran presents with any one symptom associated with Gulf War 
Illness, use of such questionnaire is mandatory for health care 
personnel of the Department for the identification of Gulf War 
Illness.''.
    (d) Expansion of Definition of Persian Gulf Veteran.--Subsection 
(f) of such section is amended by inserting ``, Afghanistan, Israel, 
Egypt, Turkey, Syria, or Jordan'' after ``operations''.
    (e) Training.--Such section is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(i)(1) The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary 
to ensure that health care personnel of the Department are 
appropriately trained to effectively carry out this section.
    ``(2) Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report on the actions taken by the Secretary to 
carry out paragraph (1).''.
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