[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3397 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3397

To require the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary 
  of Veterans Affairs, to develop guidelines regarding the use by the 
 Secretaries of the military departments and the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs of unofficial sources of information to determine the 
   eligibility of a member or former member of the Armed Forces for 
    benefits and decorations when the member's service records are 
incomplete because of damage to the records, including records damaged 
 by a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, 
                               Missouri.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 2013

  Mrs. Capps introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary 
  of Veterans Affairs, to develop guidelines regarding the use by the 
 Secretaries of the military departments and the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs of unofficial sources of information to determine the 
   eligibility of a member or former member of the Armed Forces for 
    benefits and decorations when the member's service records are 
incomplete because of damage to the records, including records damaged 
 by a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, 
                               Missouri.

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

SECTION 1. DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES FOR USE OF UNOFFICIAL SOURCES OF 
              INFORMATION TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY OF MEMBERS AND 
              FORMER MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES FOR BENEFITS AND 
              DECORATIONS WHEN THE SERVICE RECORDS ARE INCOMPLETE 
              BECAUSE OF DAMAGE TO THE OFFICIAL RECORD.

    (a) Guidelines Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall develop 
guidelines regarding the use by the Secretaries of the military 
departments and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of unofficial sources 
of information, including eyewitness statements, to determine the 
eligibility of a member or former member of the Armed Forces for 
benefits and decorations when the service records of the member are 
incomplete because of damage to the records as a result of the 1973 
fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, 
or any subsequent incident while the records were in the possession of 
the Department of Defense.
    (b) Consultation.--The Secretary of Defense shall prepare the 
guidelines in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with 
respect to veterans benefits under title 38, United States Code, whose 
eligibility determinations depend on the use of service records 
maintained by the Department of Defense.
    (c) Time for Completion.--The Secretary of Defense shall complete 
development of the guidelines not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
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