[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 919 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 919

 To amend section 1154 of title 38, United States Code, to clarify the 
 additional requirements for consideration to be afforded time, place, 
   and circumstances of service in determinations regarding service-
                        connected disabilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 28, 2009

   Mr. Akaka introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend section 1154 of title 38, United States Code, to clarify the 
 additional requirements for consideration to be afforded time, place, 
   and circumstances of service in determinations regarding service-
                        connected disabilities.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clarification of Characteristics of 
Combat Service Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSIDERATION TO 
              BE AFFORDED TIME, PLACE, AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF SERVICE IN 
              DETERMINATIONS REGARDING SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES.

    Subsection (a) of section 1154 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(a)(1) The Secretary shall include in the regulations pertaining 
to service-connection of disabilities the following:
            ``(A) Additional provisions in effect requiring that in 
        each case where a veteran is seeking service-connection for any 
        disability due consideration shall be given to the places, 
        types, and circumstances of such veteran's service as shown by 
        such veteran's service record, the official history of each 
        organization in which such veteran served, such veteran's 
        medical records, and all pertinent medical and lay evidence.
            ``(B) Additional provisions specifying that, in the case of 
        a veteran who served in a particular combat zone, the Secretary 
        shall accept credible lay or other evidence as sufficient proof 
        that the veteran encountered an event that the Secretary 
        specifies in such regulations as associated with service in 
        particular locations where the veteran served or in particular 
        circumstances under which the veteran served in such combat 
        zone.
            ``(C) The provisions required by section 5 of the Veterans' 
        Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act 
        (Public Law 98-542; 98 Stat. 2727).
    ``(2) In paragraph (1)(B), the term `combat zone' means a combat 
zone for purposes of section 112 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
or a predecessor provision of law.''.
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