[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2413 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2413

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide additional authority 
   for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide health care for 
                   veterans of the Persian Gulf War.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 15, 1993

 Mr. Clement introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide additional authority 
   for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide health care for 
                   veterans of the Persian Gulf War.

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

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE.

    (a) High-Priority Care.--Section 1710(a)(1)(G) of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by striking out ``or radiation'' and inserting 
in lieu thereof ``, radiation, or environmental hazard''.
    (b) Authorized Inpatient Care.--Section 1710(e) of such title is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting at the end of paragraph (1) the following 
        new subparagraph:
    ``(C) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, a 
veteran who the Secretary finds may have been exposed while serving on 
active duty in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the 
Persian Gulf War to a toxic substance or environmental hazard is 
eligible for hospital care and nursing home care under subsection 
(a)(1)(G) of this section for any disability for which a need for 
treatment is determined by the Secretary before October 1, 1994, 
notwithstanding that there is insufficient medical evidence to conclude 
that such disability may be associated with such exposure.'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking out ``subparagraph (A) or 
        (B)'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``subparagraph (A), (B), or 
        (C)''; and
            (3) in paragraph (3), by striking out the period at the end 
        and inserting in lieu thereof ``, or, in the case of care for a 
        veteran described in paragraph (1)(C), after September 30, 
        1996.''.
    (c) Authorized Outpatient Care.--Section 1712(a)(1) of such title 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking out ``and'' at the end of 
                subparagraph (B);
                    (B) by striking out the period at the end of 
                subparagraph (C) and inserting in lieu thereof ``; 
                and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(D) during the period before October 1, 1996, for any 
        disability for which a need for treatment is determined by the 
        Secretary before October 1, 1994, in the case of a veteran who 
        served on active duty in the Southwest Asia theater of 
        operations during the Persian Gulf War and who the Secretary 
        finds may have been exposed to a toxic substance or 
        environmental hazard during such service, notwithstanding that 
        there is insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the 
        disability may be associated with such exposure.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(7) Medical services may not be furnished under paragraph (1)(D) 
with respect to a disability that is found, in accordance with 
guidelines issued by the Under Secretary for Health, to have resulted 
from a cause other than an exposure described in that paragraph.''.

SEC. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by section 1 shall take effect as of August 10, 
1992.

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