[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2950 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 542
116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2950

To amend title 38, United States Code, to concede exposure to airborne 
hazards and toxins from burn pits under certain circumstances, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 21, 2019

  Mr. Sullivan (for himself, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Rosen, Mr. 
Young, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Jones, 
 Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Collins, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Portman, Mr. 
 Coons, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
   Cornyn, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Risch, Mr. King, Ms. Warren, Mr. Cruz, Ms. 
 Hassan, and Mr. Cramer) introduced the following bill; which was read 
        twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

                           September 15, 2020

                Reported by Mr. Moran, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to concede exposure to airborne 
hazards and toxins from burn pits under certain circumstances, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Burn Pits Exposure 
Recognition Act of 2019''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following 
findings:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) The health of some members of the Armed Forces 
        and veterans who served in certain locations, often multiple 
        times, may have been affected by their service near burn 
        pits.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Determining the location of burn pits, and the 
        scope of health effects associated to exposure, remains the 
        subject of much investigation and research by the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, other government 
        agencies, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
        and Medicine.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) The locations of burn pits used by the 
        Department of Defense and partnered armed forces, and the 
        possible health effects associated by their use, may never be 
        completely known, as--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) some location and air and soil quality 
                data is fragmentary; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the research involved with 
                establishing links between burn pit exposure and health 
                conditions by necessity is complex, years in length, 
                and in the end, in some cases, inconclusive.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) In the interim, though, some veterans have 
        already been adversely affected by their exposure to burn pits, 
        and their claims to certain benefits furnished by the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs can be reviewed on a case-by-
        case basis.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) When filing a claim for certain benefits 
        furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
        application requires that each veteran show evidence of their 
        exposure to burn pits, however if the evidence of exposure to 
        burn pits is not provided, the claim is often denied.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) if it is determined that a veteran was 
        deployed to a covered location during a certain period, the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs should concede that the member or 
        veteran was exposed to certain toxins, chemicals, and hazards; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) a concession of exposure as described in 
        paragraph (1) should not alone be sufficient to entitle one to 
        health care or disability compensation under laws administered 
        by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. CONCESSION OF EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE HAZARDS AND TOXINS 
              FROM DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND PARTNERED ARMED FORCES 
              BURN PITS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 11 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:</DELETED>
<DELETED>``Sec. 1119. Concession of exposure to airborne hazards and 
              toxins from burn pits</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(a) In General.--For purposes of section 1110 and 
chapter 17 of this title, any veteran who, during active military, 
naval, or air service, was deployed in support of a contingency 
operation while so serving and as part of such deployment served in a 
covered location during a corresponding period set forth under 
subsection (b), shall be considered to have been exposed to the toxins, 
chemicals, and hazards listed in subsection (c).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Covered Locations and Corresponding Periods.--(1) 
The covered locations and corresponding periods set forth under this 
subsection are as follows:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(A) Iraq and the following periods:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(i) The period beginning on August 2, 
                1990, and ending on February 28, 1991.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) The period beginning on March 19, 
                2003, and ending on such date as the Secretary 
                determines burn pits are no longer used in 
                Iraq.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) The Southwest Asia Theater of operations, 
        other than Iraq, and the period beginning on August 2, 1990, 
        and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn pits 
        are no longer used in such location, including the 
        following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(i) Kuwait.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) Saudi Arabia.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iii) Bahrain.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iv) Oman.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(v) Qatar.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(vi) United Arab Emirates.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(C) Afghanistan and the period beginning on 
        September 11, 2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary 
        determines burn pits are no longer used in 
        Afghanistan.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(D) Djibouti and the period beginning on 
        September 11, 2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary 
        determines burn pits are no longer used in Djibouti.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(E) Such other locations as are set forth by the 
        Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry established under 
        section 201 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' 
        Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 38 U.S.C. 
        527 note) and corresponding periods set forth in such 
        registry.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(F) Such other locations and corresponding 
        periods as the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary 
        of Defense, may determine appropriate in a report the Secretary 
        of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress not later than two 
        years after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Burn Pits 
        Exposure Recognition Act of 2019 and not less frequently than 
        once every two years thereafter.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(2) A location set forth under this subsection shall not 
include any body of water around or any airspace above such 
location.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Toxins, Chemicals, Airborne Hazards.--(1) Subject to 
paragraph (2), the toxins, chemicals, and airborne hazards listed in 
this subsection are as follows:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(A) Particulate matter, including the 
        following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(i) PM-10.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) PM-2.5.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 
        including the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(i) Acenaphthene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) Acenaphthylene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iii) Anthracene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iv) Benzo(a)anthracene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(v) Benzo(a)pyrene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(vi) Benzo(b)fluoroanthene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(vii) Benzo(g,h,i)perylene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(viii) Benzo(k)fluoroanthene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ix) Chrysene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(x) Dibenz(a,h)anthracene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xi) Fluoranthene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xii) Fluorene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xiii) Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xiv) Naphthalene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xv) Phenanthrene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xvi) Pyrene.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(C) Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including 
        the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(i) Acetone.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) Acrolein.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iii) Benzene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iv) Carbon Disulfide.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(v) Chlorodifluoromethane.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(vi) Chloromethane.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(vii) Ethylbenzene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(viii) Hexane.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ix) Hexachlorobutadiene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(x) m/p-Xylene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xi) Methylene Chloride.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xii) Pentane.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xiii) Propylene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xiv) Styrene.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xv) Toluene.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(D) Toxic organic halogenated dioxins and furans 
        (dioxins), including the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(i) 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HPCDD.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HPCDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iii) 1,2,3,4,7,8,9 HPCDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(iv) 1,2,3,4,7,8 HXCDD.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(v) 1,2,3,4,7,8 HXCDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(vi) 1,2,3,6,7,8 HXCDD.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(vii) 1,2,3,6,7,8 HXCDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(viii) 1,2,3,7,8,9 HXCDD.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ix) 1,2,3,7,8,9 HXCDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(x) 1,2,3,7,8 PECDD.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xi) 1,2,3,7,8 PECDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xii) 2,3,4,6,7,8 HXCDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xiii) 2,3,4,7,8 PECDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xiv) 2,3,7,8 TCDD.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xv) 2,3,7,8 TCDF.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xvi) octachlorodibenzodioxin.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(xvii) octachlorodibenzofuran.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(E) Such other toxins, chemicals, and airborne 
        hazards as the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary 
        of Defense, may add under paragraph (2).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(2) The Secretary may add to or remove from the list 
under paragraph (1) as the Secretary determines appropriate in a report 
the Secretary shall submit to Congress not later than two years after 
the date of the enactment of the Veterans Burn Pits Exposure 
Recognition Act of 2019, and not less frequently than once every two 
years thereafter.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(d) Medical Examinations and Medical Opinions.--(1) If a 
veteran described in subsection (a) submits to the Secretary a claim 
for compensation for a service-connected disability with evidence of a 
disability and service in a covered location and corresponding period 
set forth under subsection (b) and such evidence is not sufficient to 
establish a service connection for the disability, the Secretary shall 
provide the veteran with a medical examination and the Secretary shall 
request a medical opinion as to any causal link between the disability 
and a toxin, chemical, or hazard set listed in subsection 
(c).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(2) When providing the Secretary with a medical opinion 
requested under paragraph (1), the provider shall consider the total 
potential exposure through all applicable military deployments, and the 
synergistic effect of all combined toxins through inhalation, dermal 
exposure, and ingestion.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Definition of Burn Pit.--In this section, the term 
`burn pit' means an area of land that is used for disposal of solid 
waste by burning in the outdoor air.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
beginning of chapter 11 of such title is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 1118 the following new item:</DELETED>

<DELETED>``1119. Concession of exposure to airborne hazards and toxins 
                            from burn pits.''.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Burn Pits Exposure 
Recognition Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The health of some members of the Armed Forces and 
        veterans who served in certain locations, often multiple times, 
        may have been affected by their service near burn pits.
            (2) Determining the location of burn pits, and the scope of 
        health effects associated to exposure, remains the subject of 
        much investigation and research by the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs, the Department of Defense, other government agencies, 
        and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
        Medicine.
            (3) The locations of burn pits used by the Department of 
        Defense and partnered armed forces, and the possible health 
        effects associated by their use, may never be completely known, 
        as--
                    (A) some location and air and soil quality data is 
                fragmentary; and
                    (B) the research involved with establishing links 
                between burn pit exposure and health conditions by 
                necessity is complex, years in length, and in the end, 
                in some cases, inconclusive.
            (4) In the interim, though, some veterans have already been 
        adversely affected by their exposure to burn pits, and their 
        claims to certain benefits furnished by the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
            (5) When filing a claim for certain benefits furnished by 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs, the application requires 
        that each veteran show evidence of their exposure to burn pits, 
        however if the evidence of exposure to burn pits is not 
        provided, the claim is often denied.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) if it is determined that a veteran was deployed to a 
        covered location during a certain period, the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs should concede that the member or veteran was 
        exposed to certain toxic substances, chemicals, and hazards;
            (2) a concession of exposure as described in paragraph (1) 
        should not alone be sufficient to entitle one to health care or 
        disability compensation under laws administered by the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
            (3) the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of 
        Defense, and other relevant agencies should make information 
        regarding burn pit locations immediately available to the 
        public, with appropriate caveats to its completeness and need 
        for potential future revision; and
            (4) the earliest possible period for which the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs should make concessions as described in 
        paragraph (1) should begin on August 2, 1990.

SEC. 3. CONCESSION OF EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE HAZARDS AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES 
              FROM DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND PARTNERED ARMED FORCES 
              BURN PITS.

    (a) Concession Required.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 11 of title 38, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:
``Sec. 1119. Concession of exposure to airborne hazards and toxic 
              substances from burn pits
    ``(a) In General.--For purposes of section 1110 and chapter 17 of 
this title, any veteran who, during active military, naval, or air 
service, was deployed in support of a contingency operation while so 
serving and as part of such deployment served in a covered location 
during a corresponding period set forth under subsection (b), shall be 
considered to have been exposed to the toxic substances, chemicals, and 
hazards listed in subsection (c).
    ``(b) Covered Locations and Corresponding Periods.--(1) The covered 
locations and corresponding periods set forth under this subsection are 
as follows:
            ``(A) Iraq and the following periods:
                    ``(i) The period beginning on August 2, 1990, and 
                ending on February 28, 1991.
                    ``(ii) The period beginning on March 19, 2003, and 
                ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn 
                pits are no longer used in Iraq.
            ``(B) The Southwest Asia Theater of operations, other than 
        Iraq, and the period beginning on August 2, 1990, and ending on 
        such date as the Secretary determines burn pits are no longer 
        used in such location, including the following:
                    ``(i) Kuwait.
                    ``(ii) Saudi Arabia.
                    ``(iii) Oman.
                    ``(iv) Qatar.
            ``(C) Afghanistan and the period beginning on September 11, 
        2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn 
        pits are no longer used in Afghanistan.
            ``(D) Djibouti and the period beginning on September 11, 
        2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn 
        pits are no longer used in Djibouti.
            ``(E) Syria and the period beginning on September 11, 2001, 
        and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn pits 
        are no longer used in Syria.
            ``(F) Jordan and the period beginning on September 11, 
        2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn 
        pits are no longer used in Jordan.
            ``(G) Egypt and the period beginning on September 11, 2001, 
        and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn pits 
        are no longer used in Egypt.
            ``(H) Lebanon and the period beginning on September 11, 
        2001, and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn 
        pits are no longer used in Lebanon.
            ``(I) Yemen and the period beginning on September 11, 2001, 
        and ending on such date as the Secretary determines burn pits 
        are no longer used in Yemen.
            ``(J) Such other locations as are set forth by the Airborne 
        Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry established under section 
        201 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits 
        Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 38 U.S.C. 527 
        note) and corresponding periods set forth in such registry.
            ``(K) Such other locations and corresponding periods as the 
        Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, may 
        determine appropriate in a report the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs shall submit to Congress not later than two years after 
        the date of the enactment of the Veterans Burn Pits Exposure 
        Recognition Act of 2020 and not less frequently than once every 
        two years thereafter.
    ``(2) A location set forth under this subsection shall not include 
any body of water around or any airspace above such location.
    ``(c) Toxic Substances, Chemicals, Airborne Hazards.--(1) Subject 
to paragraph (2), the toxic substances, chemicals, and airborne hazards 
listed in this subsection are as follows:
            ``(A) Particulate matter, including the following:
                    ``(i) PM-10.
                    ``(ii) PM-2.5.
            ``(B) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including 
        the following:
                    ``(i) Acenaphthene.
                    ``(ii) Acenaphthylene.
                    ``(iii) Anthracene.
                    ``(iv) Benzo(a)anthracene.
                    ``(v) Benzo(a)pyrene.
                    ``(vi) Benzo(b)fluoroanthene.
                    ``(vii) Benzo(g,h,i)perylene.
                    ``(viii) Benzo(k)fluoroanthene.
                    ``(ix) Chrysene.
                    ``(x) Dibenz(a,h)anthracene.
                    ``(xi) Fluoranthene.
                    ``(xii) Fluorene.
                    ``(xiii) Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene.
                    ``(xiv) Naphthalene.
                    ``(xv) Phenanthrene.
                    ``(xvi) Pyrene.
            ``(C) Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including the 
        following:
                    ``(i) Acetone.
                    ``(ii) Acrolein.
                    ``(iii) Benzene.
                    ``(iv) Carbon Disulfide.
                    ``(v) Chlorodifluoromethane.
                    ``(vi) Chloromethane.
                    ``(vii) Ethylbenzene.
                    ``(viii) Hexane.
                    ``(ix) Hexachlorobutadiene.
                    ``(x) m/p-Xylene.
                    ``(xi) Methylene Chloride.
                    ``(xii) Pentane.
                    ``(xiii) Propylene.
                    ``(xiv) Styrene.
                    ``(xv) Toluene.
            ``(D) Toxic organic halogenated dioxins and furans 
        (dioxins), including the following:
                    ``(i) 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HPCDD.
                    ``(ii) 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HPCDF.
                    ``(iii) 1,2,3,4,7,8,9 HPCDF.
                    ``(iv) 1,2,3,4,7,8 HXCDD.
                    ``(v) 1,2,3,4,7,8 HXCDF.
                    ``(vi) 1,2,3,6,7,8 HXCDD.
                    ``(vii) 1,2,3,6,7,8 HXCDF.
                    ``(viii) 1,2,3,7,8,9 HXCDD.
                    ``(ix) 1,2,3,7,8,9 HXCDF.
                    ``(x) 1,2,3,7,8 PECDD.
                    ``(xi) 1,2,3,7,8 PECDF.
                    ``(xii) 2,3,4,6,7,8 HXCDF.
                    ``(xiii) 2,3,4,7,8 PECDF.
                    ``(xiv) 2,3,7,8 TCDD.
                    ``(xv) 2,3,7,8 TCDF.
                    ``(xvi) octachlorodibenzodioxin.
                    ``(xvii) octachlorodibenzofuran.
            ``(E) Such other toxic substances, chemicals, and airborne 
        hazards as the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary 
        of Defense, may add under paragraph (2).
    ``(2) The Secretary may add to or remove from the list under 
paragraph (1) as the Secretary determines appropriate in a report the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress not later than two years after the 
date of the enactment of the Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition 
Act of 2020, and not less frequently than once every two years 
thereafter.
    ``(d) Medical Examinations and Medical Opinions.--(1) If a veteran 
described in subsection (a) submits to the Secretary a claim for 
compensation for a service-connected disability with evidence of a 
disability and service in a covered location and corresponding period 
set forth under subsection (b) and such evidence is not sufficient to 
establish a service connection for the disability, the Secretary shall 
provide the veteran with a medical examination and the Secretary shall 
request a medical opinion as to any causal link between the disability 
and a toxic substance, chemical, or hazard set listed in subsection 
(c).
    ``(2) When providing the Secretary with a medical opinion requested 
under paragraph (1), the provider shall consider the total potential 
exposure through all applicable military deployments, and the 
synergistic effect of all combined toxic substances through inhalation, 
dermal exposure, and ingestion.
    ``(e) Definition of Burn Pit.--In this section, the term `burn pit' 
means an area of land that is used for disposal of solid waste by 
burning in the outdoor air.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 11 of such title is amended by inserting 
        after the item relating to section 1118 the following new item:

``1119. Concession of exposure to airborne hazards and toxic substances 
                            from burn pits.''.
    (b) Reports.--
            (1) Reports required.--The Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives reports as 
        follows:
                    (A) Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
                enactment of this Act, a report covering the one-year 
                period preceding the date of the enactment of this Act.
                    (B) Not later than 425 days after the date of the 
                enactment of this Act, a report covering the one-year 
                period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 
                Act.
                    (C) Not later than 790 days after the date of the 
                enactment of this Act, a report covering the one-year 
                period beginning on the date that is one year after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Contents.--Each report submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall include, for the period covered by the report and 
        disaggregated by each of the categories set forth under 
        paragraph (3), the following:
                    (A) Total number of claims filed for compensation 
                under chapters 11 and 13 of title 38, United States 
                Code.
                    (B) Total number of such claims for which the 
                Secretary provided medical examinations.
                    (C) The current status of such claims, 
                disaggregated by the following:
                            (i) Total claims pending a decision.
                            (ii) Total claims granted.
                            (iii) Total claims denied for which the 
                        claimant took no further action.
                            (iv) Total claims denied for which the 
                        claimant filed a supplemental claim.
                            (v) Total claims denied for which the 
                        claimant requested a higher level review.
                            (vi) Total claims denied for which the 
                        claimant filed an appeal to the Board of 
                        Veterans' Appeals.
            (3) Categories.--The categories set forth under this 
        paragraph are as follows:
                    (A) Claims for compensation under chapters 11 and 
                13 of title 38, United States Code.
                    (B) Claims involving exposure to a toxic substance, 
                chemical, or hazard listed in subsection (c) of section 
                1119 of title 38, United States Code, as added by 
                subsection (a)(1), during active military, naval, or 
                air service in support of a contingency operation in a 
                covered location during a corresponding period set 
                forth under subsection (b) of such section.
            (4) Public access to reports.--The Secretary shall make 
        each report required by paragraph (1) available to the public, 
        including by publishing the reports on a publicly accessible 
        page of the website of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
                                                       Calendar No. 542

116th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2950

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to concede exposure to airborne 
hazards and toxins from burn pits under certain circumstances, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           September 15, 2020

                       Reported with an amendment