Title: To modify the presumption of service connection for veterans who were exposed to herbicide agents while serving in the Armed Forces in Thailand during the Vietnam era, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that, if it creates a presumption of service-connection between the occurrence of a disease and exposure to an herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces between January 9, 1962, and June 30, 1976, at a military base in Thailand, such presumption must also apply to exposure at any military base in Thailand, regardless of where on the base the veteran was located or what military job specialty the veteran performed.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2269 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2269

 To modify the presumption of service connection for veterans who were 
   exposed to herbicide agents while serving in the Armed Forces in 
        Thailand during the Vietnam era, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2021

     Mr. Westerman (for himself, Mr. Thompson of California, Mrs. 
Harshbarger, Mrs. Axne, Mr. McCaul, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Ryan, 
  Mr. Stanton, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Turner, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Moulton, Mr. 
 Hill, Mr. Rush, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Baird, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Omar, 
  Mr. Cohen, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Vela, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Larsen of 
     Washington, Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. 
Rutherford, Mrs. Demings, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, Mr. Griffith, Mr. 
Harder of California, Mr. Johnson of Louisiana, Mr. Kim of New Jersey, 
 Mr. Massie, Mr. Posey, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Kind, and Mrs. Kirkpatrick) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To modify the presumption of service connection for veterans who were 
   exposed to herbicide agents while serving in the Armed Forces in 
        Thailand during the Vietnam era, 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. MODIFICATION OF PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE CONNECTION FOR 
              VETERANS WHO WERE EXPOSED TO HERBICIDE AGENTS WHILE 
              SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES IN THAILAND DURING THE 
              VIETNAM ERA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure 
that if the Secretary creates a presumption of service connection 
between the occurrence of a disease and exposure to a herbicide agent 
while serving in the Armed Forces during the covered period at a 
military base in Thailand, such presumption also applies to exposure to 
a herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces during the covered 
period at any military base located in Thailand without regard to where 
on the base the veteran was located or what military job specialty the 
veteran performed.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered period.--The term ``covered period'' means the 
        period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on June 30, 
        1976.
            (2) Herbicide agent.--The term ``herbicide agent'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 1116(a) of title 38, United 
        States Code.
            (3) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
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