[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2535 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2535


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               August 3 (legislative day, June 30), 1993

 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
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) 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.

    (a) Effective Date.--The amendments made by section 1 shall take 
effect as of August 2, 1990.
    (b) Procedure for Refunds of Prior Payments.--Upon application of a 
veteran submitted after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall refund to the veteran any amount 
paid by the veteran to the Secretary before the date of the enactment 
of this Act in accordance with sections 1710(f) and 1712(f) of title 
38, United States Code, for care and services covered by the amendments 
made by section 1.

            Passed the House of Representatives August 2, 1993.

            Attest:

                                           DONNALD K. ANDERSON,

                                                                 Clerk.