Title: Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act of 2019
This bill extends the presumption of service-connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide (e.g., Agent Orange) exposure to veterans who served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities or diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 576 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 576

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a presumption of 
 herbicide exposure for certain veterans who served in Korea, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 27, 2019

Mr. Moran (for himself, Mr. Tester, Mr. Blunt, Ms. Warren, Mr. Cramer, 
Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Brown, Ms. Collins, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
King, Ms. Baldwin, and Mr. Wyden) introduced the following bill; which 
   was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a presumption of 
 herbicide exposure for certain veterans who served in Korea, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act 
of 2019''.

SEC. 2. PRESUMPTION OF HERBICIDE EXPOSURE FOR CERTAIN VETERANS WHO 
              SERVED IN KOREA.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1116 the following new section:
``Sec. 1116A. Presumption of herbicide exposure for certain veterans 
              who served in Korea
    ``(a) Presumption of Service-Connection.--(1) For the purposes of 
section 1110 of this title, and subject to section 1113 of this title, 
a disease specified in subsection (b) that becomes manifest as 
specified in that subsection in a veteran described in paragraph (2) 
shall be considered to have been incurred or aggravated in the line of 
duty in the active military, naval, or air service, notwithstanding 
that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period 
of such service.
    ``(2) A veteran described in this paragraph is a veteran who, 
during active military, naval, or air service, served in or near the 
Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ), during the period beginning on 
September 1, 1967, and ending on August 31, 1971.
    ``(b) Diseases.--A disease specified in this subsection is--
            ``(1) a disease specified in paragraph (2) of subsection 
        (a) of section 1116 of this title that becomes manifest as 
        specified in that paragraph; or
            ``(2) any additional disease that--
                    ``(A) the Secretary determines in regulations 
                warrants a presumption of service-connection by reason 
                of having positive association with exposure to an 
                herbicide agent; and
                    ``(B) becomes manifest within any period prescribed 
                in such regulations.
    ``(c) Herbicide Agent.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`herbicide agent' has the meaning given such term in section 1821(d) of 
this title.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1116 the following new item:

``1116A. Presumption of herbicide exposure for certain veterans who 
                            served in Korea.''.
                                 <all>