114 HR 8430 IH: Toxic Exposure Education for Servicemembers Act of 2022 U.S. House of Representatives 2022-07-19 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
I117th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 8430IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJuly 19, 2022Mr. Ruiz (for himself and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed ServicesA BILLTo direct the Secretary of Defense to establish an outreach program to inform members of the Armed Forces, assigned to work near burn pits, of the risks of toxic exposure, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Toxic Exposure Education for Servicemembers Act of 2022.
2.
Outreach to members regarding possible toxic exposure
(a)
Establishment
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall establish—(1)a new risk assessment for toxic exposure for members of the Armed Forces assigned to work near burn pits; and(2)an outreach program to inform such members regarding such toxic exposure. Such program shall include information regarding benefits and support programs furnished by the Secretary (including eligibility requirements and timelines) regarding toxic exposure.(b)
Promotion
The Secretary of Defense shall promote the program to members described in subsection (a) by direct mail, email, text messaging, and social media.(c)
Publication
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall publish on a website of the Department of Defense a list of resources furnished by the Secretary for—(1)members and veterans who experienced toxic exposure in the course of serving as a member of the Armed Forces;(2)dependents and caregivers of such members and veterans; and(3)survivors of such members and veterans who receive death benefits under laws administered by the Secretary.(d)
Toxic exposure defined
In this section, the term toxic exposure has the meaning given such term in section 631 of the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–315; 38 U.S.C. 1116 note).