Title: Jennifer Kepner HOPE Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Jennifer Kepner Healthcare for Open air burn Pit Exposure Act or the Jennifer Kepner HOPE Act
This bill extends eligibility for hospital, nursing home, and medical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans who were exposed to burn pits on or after January 1, 1990, while serving in support of a contingency operation. Burn pits are areas used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2432 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2432

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the eligibility 
of certain individuals exposed to burn pits for hospital care, medical 
services, and nursing home care furnished by the Department of Veterans 
                    Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2021

    Mr. Ruiz (for himself, Mr. Castro of Texas, and Mr. Bilirakis) 
 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 eligibility 
of certain individuals exposed to burn pits for hospital care, medical 
services, and nursing home care furnished by the Department of Veterans 
                    Affairs, 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 ``Jennifer Kepner Healthcare for Open 
air burn Pit Exposure Act'' or the ``Jennifer Kepner HOPE Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF INDIVIDUALS EXPOSED TO BURN PITS FOR HOSPITAL 
              CARE, MEDICAL SERVICES, AND NURSING HOME CARE FURNISHED 
              BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1710 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2)(F), by inserting ``burn pit,'' 
        after ``radiation,''; and
            (2) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 
                following new subparagraph:
    ``(G)(i) Subject to paragraph (2), an individual described in 
clause (ii) is eligible for hospital care, medical services, and 
nursing home care under subsection (a)(2)(F) notwithstanding that there 
is insufficient medical evidence to conclude that a disease or 
disability of the individual is or is not associated with exposure to 
an open air burn pit.
    ``(ii) An individual described in this clause is an individual who, 
on or after January 1, 1990, served as a member of the Armed Forces in 
support of a contingency operation and was based or stationed at a 
location where an open air burn pit was in use.
    ``(iii) In this subparagraph, the term `open air burn pit' means a 
place where--
            ``(I) solid waste is disposed of by burning in the outdoor 
        air; and
            ``(II) a commercially manufactured incinerator or other 
        equipment specifically designed and manufactured for the 
        burning of solid waste is not in use.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``or (F)'' and 
                inserting ``(F), or (G)''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to hospital care, medical services, and nursing home 
care furnished on or after the date that is 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
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