Title: Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act
This bill authorizes specified individuals to update the burn pit registry with the cause of death of a registered individual. The Department of Veterans Affairs established the burn pit registry to allow certain veterans and servicemembers to document their exposures and report health concerns. The registry is for individuals who may have been exposed to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits (areas used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment) while deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Specifically, the bill authorizes a designee of a registered individual or an immediate family member to update the registry with the cause of death of the individual.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 554 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 554

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take actions necessary 
  to ensure that certain individuals may update the burn pit registry 
   with the cause of death of a registered individual, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 26, 2019

Mr. Udall (for himself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take actions necessary 
  to ensure that certain individuals may update the burn pit registry 
   with the cause of death of a registered individual, 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 ``Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. UPDATES OF BURN PIT REGISTRY ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED BY 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Individuals Eligible To Update.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall take actions necessary to ensure that the burn pit 
        registry may be updated with the cause of death of a deceased 
        registered individual by--
                    (A) an individual designated by such deceased 
                registered individual; or
                    (B) if no such individual is designated, an 
                immediate family member of such deceased registered 
                individual.
            (2) Designation.--The Secretary shall provide, with respect 
        to the burn pit registry, a process by which a registered 
        individual may make a designation for purposes of paragraph 
        (1)(A).
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``burn pit registry'' means the registry 
        established under section 201 of the Dignified Burial and Other 
        Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 
        38 U.S.C. 527 note).
            (2) The term ``immediate family member'', with respect to a 
        deceased individual, means--
                    (A) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, or adult 
                child of the individual;
                    (B) an adult person to whom the individual stands 
                in loco parentis; or
                    (C) any other adult person--
                            (i) living in the household of the 
                        individual at the time of the death of the 
                        individual; and
                            (ii) related to the individual by blood or 
                        marriage.
            (3) The term ``registered individual'' means an individual 
        registered with the burn pit registry.
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