Title: Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act
This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1980, as radiation-exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers.
Under a presumption of service-connection, specific 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]
[H.R. 1377 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1377

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the treatment of 
veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll as radiation 
exposed veterans for purposes of the presumption of service-connection 
     of certain disabilities by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2019

    Ms. Meng (for herself, Mr. Aguilar, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Beyer, Ms. 
    Bonamici, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Case, Ms. Judy Chu of 
  California, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Cummings, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. 
  DeGette, Ms. DelBene, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Engel, Mr. 
Espaillat, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Foster, Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. 
 Garamendi, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Harder of California, Mr. Hastings, Mr. 
  Heck, Mr. Higgins of New York, Mr. Himes, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Kelly of 
    Illinois, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Kind, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mrs. 
  Lawrence, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Lujan, Mrs. Luria, Mrs. 
Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Massie, Ms. Matsui, Mr. McClintock, 
Ms. McCollum, Ms. Moore, Mr. Moulton, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
   Pallone, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Payne, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. 
   Peters, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. 
Quigley, Mrs. Radewagen, Miss Rice of New York, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. 
   Rush, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Serrano, Mr. 
     Sires, Ms. Speier, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Swalwell of 
  California, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. Titus, Mrs. 
 Torres of California, Ms. Velazquez, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Welch, 
 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Zeldin, Mr. Byrne, and 
  Mr. Gomez) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the treatment of 
veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll as radiation 
exposed veterans for purposes of the presumption of service-connection 
     of certain disabilities by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``Mark Takai Atomic Veterans 
Healthcare Parity Act''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF VETERANS WHO PARTICIPATED IN CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK 
              ATOLL AS RADIATION EXPOSED VETERANS FOR PURPOSES OF 
              PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE-CONNECTION OF CERTAIN DISABILITIES 
              BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    Section 1112(c)(3)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new clause:
                            ``(v) Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll during the 
                        period beginning on January 1, 1977, and ending 
                        on December 31, 1980.''.
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