[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 119 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 119

To require the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human 
   Services, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the 
   Congress a joint report addressing the question of United States 
   Government responsibility for providing benefits and services to 
 disabled individuals who served with certain voluntary organizations 
that provided significant assistance to the Armed Forces of the United 
  States stationed in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

   Mrs. Collins of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human 
   Services, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to the 
   Congress a joint report addressing the question of United States 
   Government responsibility for providing benefits and services to 
 disabled individuals who served with certain voluntary organizations 
that provided significant assistance to the Armed Forces of the United 
  States stationed in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REPORT REGARDING THE PROVISION OF BENEFITS AND SERVICES TO 
              DISABLED OVERSEAS VOLUNTEER SUPPORT PERSONNEL FOR THE 
              ARMED FORCES DURING THE VIETNAM ERA.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide a basis for the 
executive branch and the Congress to evaluate the question of United 
States Government responsibility for providing overseas volunteer 
support personnel with Federal and other benefits and services 
(including health care and monetary compensation) in connection with 
disabilities which may be related to their experiences during their 
service in the Republic of Vietnam in support of the activities of the 
Armed Forces of the United States during the Vietnam era.
    (b) Report.--(1) In order to carry out such purpose, the Secretary 
of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly prepare a report on the 
question described in subsection (a). The report shall include a 
description of the benefits and services that should be provided to 
such overseas volunteer support personnel, various alternative 
approaches to providing such benefits and services (together with 
comments on the appropriateness and the advantages and disadvantages of 
each alternative approach), and any recommendations by such officials 
for legislative and administrative action to establish a program for 
providing such benefits and services to such overseas volunteer support 
personnel.
    (2) The report required by this subsection shall be submitted to 
the President and the Congress not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Definitions.--For the purpose of this Act:
            (1) The term ``overseas volunteer support personnel'' means 
        individuals who, for a period of at least 30 days during the 
        Vietnam era, served in the Republic of Vietnam as employees of, 
        or volunteer workers with, a voluntary organization determined 
        by the Secretary of Defense to be an organization that provided 
        significant assistance to the Armed Forces of the United States 
        in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era. Such term 
        does not include members of the Armed Forces.
            (2) The term ``Armed Forces'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101(10) of title 38, United States Code.
            (3) The term ``Vietnam era'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101(29) of such title.

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