[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2535 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2535

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 28, 1993

  Mr. Rowland (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Clement, Mr. 
   Evans, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Stump, Mr. 
Kreidler, Mr. Buyer, 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 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 PRIORITY HEALTH CARE.

    (a) Authorized Inpatient Care.--(1) 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''.
    (2) Section 1710(e) of such title is amended--
            (A) 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 which becomes manifest 
before October 1, 1996, notwithstanding that there is insufficient 
medical evidence to conclude that such disability may be associated 
with such exposure.'';
            (B) in paragraph (2), by striking out ``subparagraph (A) or 
        (B)'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``subparagraph (A), (B), or 
        (C)''; and
            (C) 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, 
        1998.''.
    (b) 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, 1998, for any 
        disability which becomes manifest before October 1, 1996, 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.

                                 <all>