[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 179 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 179

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 4, 1995

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 whether 
the United States Government should bear any 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 the purpose described in 
subsection (a), 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 that subsection. The 
report shall include--
            (A) a description of the benefits and services (if any) 
        that should be provided to such overseas volunteer support 
        personnel;
            (B) 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
            (C) 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 shall be submitted to the President and 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 title 38, United States Code.
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