[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 23 (Thursday, February 3, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-2403]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 3, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

38 CFR Part 3

RIN 2900-AG69

 

Disease Associated With Exposure to Certain Herbicide Agents

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has amended its 
adjudication regulations concerning presumptive service connection for 
certain diseases even though there is no record of the disease during 
service. This amendment is necessary to implement a decision of the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs under the authority granted by the Agent 
Orange Act of 1991 that there is an association between exposure to 
herbicides used in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era and 
the subsequent development of Hodgkin's disease and porphyria cutanea 
tarda (PCT). The intended effect of this amendment is to establish 
presumptive service connection for those conditions based on herbicide 
exposure.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This amendment is effective February 3, 1994, as 
provided by Public Law 102-4.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Bisset, Jr., Consultant, 
Regulations Staff, Compensation and Pension Service, Veterans Benefits 
Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 233-3005.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA published a proposal to amend 38 CFR 
3.307(a), 3.309(e), and 3.311a to establish presumptive service 
connection for Hodgkin's disease and PCT based on exposure to 
herbicides in the Federal Register of September 28, 1993 (58 FR 50528-
30). Interested persons were invited to submit written comments, 
suggestions or objections concerning the proposal on or before October 
28, 1993. Since no comments were received, the proposed amendments are 
adopted without change.
    The Secretary hereby certifies that this regulatory amendment will 
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities as they are defined in the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 5 
U.S.C. 601-612. The reason for this certification is that this 
amendment would not directly affect any small entities. Only VA 
beneficiaries could be directly affected. Therefore, pursuant to 5 
U.S.C. 605(b), this amendment is exempt from the initial and final 
regulatory flexibility analysis requirements of sections 603 and 604.

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program numbers are 
64.109 and 64.110.

List of Subjects in 38 CFR Part 3

    Administrative practice and procedure, Claims, Handicapped, Health 
care, Pensions, Veterans.

    Approved: January 4, 1994.
Jesse Brown,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

    For the reasons set out in the preamble, 38 CFR part 3 is amended 
as set forth below:

PART 3--ADJUDICATION

Subpart A--Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity 
Compensation

    The authority citation for part 3, subpart A, continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501(a), unless otherwise noted.

    2. In Sec. 3.307, the heading and paragraph (a)(6) are revised to 
read as follows:


Sec. 3.307  Presumptive service connection for chronic, tropical or 
prisoner-of-war related disease, or disease associated with exposure to 
certain herbicide agents; wartime and service on or after January 1, 
1947.

    (a) * * *
    (6) Diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents. 
(i) For the purposes of this section, the term ``herbicide agent'' 
means a chemical in an herbicide used in support of the United States 
and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam during the 
Vietnam era, specifically: 2,4-D; 2,4,5-T and its contaminant TCDD; 
cacodylic acid; and picloram.
    (ii) The diseases listed at Sec. 3.309(e) shall have become 
manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more at any time after service, 
except that chloracne or other acneform disease consistent with 
chloracne and porphyria cutanea tarda shall have become manifest to a 
degree of 10 percent or more within a year after the last date on which 
the veteran was exposed to an herbicide agent during active military, 
naval, or air service.
    (iii) A veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, 
served in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era and has a 
disease listed at Sec. 3.309(e) shall be presumed to have been exposed 
during such service to an herbicide agent, unless there is affirmative 
evidence to establish that the veteran was not exposed to any such 
agent during that service. The last date on which such a veteran shall 
be presumed to have been exposed to an herbicide agent shall be the 
last date on which he or she served in the Republic of Vietnam during 
the Vietnam era. ``Service in the Republic of Vietnam'' includes 
service in the waters offshore and service in other locations if the 
conditions of service involved duty or visitation in the Republic of 
Vietnam.
* * * * *


Sec. 3.307  [Amended]

    3. In Sec. 3.307(a), the first sentence of the introductory text, 
remove the words ``a disease associated with service in the Republic of 
Vietnam'' and insert, in their place, the words ``a disease associated 
with exposure to certain herbicide agents''.
    4. In Sec. 3.309, paragraph (e) is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 3.309  Disease subject to presumptive service connection.

* * * * *
    (e) Disease associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents. 
If a veteran was exposed to an herbicide agent during active military, 
naval, or air service, the following diseases shall be service-
connected if the requirements of Sec. 3.307(a)(6) are met even though 
there is no record of such disease during service, provided further 
that the rebuttable presumption provisions of Sec. 3.307(d) are also 
satisfied.

Chloracne or other acneform disease consistent with chloracne
Hodgkin's disease
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Porphyria cutanea tarda
Soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, 
Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma)

    Note: The term ``soft-tissue sarcoma'' includes the following:

Adult fibrosarcoma
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans
Malignant fibrous histiocytoma
Liposarcoma
Leiomyosarcoma
Epithelioid leiomyosarcoma (malignant leiomyoblastoma)
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Ectomesenchymoma
Angiosarcoma (hemangiosarcoma and lymphangiosarcoma)
Proliferating (systemic) angioendotheliomatosis
Malignant glomus tumor
Malignant hemangiopericytoma
Synovial sarcoma (malignant synovioma)
Malignant giant cell tumor of tendon sheath
Malignant schwannoma, including malignant schwannoma with 
rhabdomyoblastic differentiation (malignant Triton tumor), glandular 
and epithelioid malignant schwannomas
Malignant mesenchymoma
Malignant granular cell tumor
Alveolar soft part sarcoma
Epithelioid sarcoma
Clear cell sarcoma of tendons and aponeuroses
Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma
Congenital and infantile fibrosarcoma
Malignant ganglioneuroma


Sec. 3.311a  [Removed]


Sec. 3.311b  [Redesignated as Sec. 3.311]

    5. Section 3.311a is removed and Sec. 3.311b is redesignated as 
Sec. 3.311.
[FR Doc. 94-2403 Filed 2-2-94; 8:45 am]
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