Expedite Agent Orange Coverage Act

Expedite Agent Orange Coverage Act

This bill reinstates and extends the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine and regulate diseases that warrant a presumption of service connection after exposure to a herbicide agent. Under a presumption of service connection, specific diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits may then be awarded.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1482 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1482

To extend the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding 
    presumptions of service connection for diseases associated with 
         exposure to herbicide agents, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 4, 2019

 Mr. Crist (for himself and Mr. Mullin) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To extend the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding 
    presumptions of service connection for diseases associated with 
         exposure to herbicide agents, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Expedite Agent Orange Coverage 
Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              REGARDING PRESUMPTIONS OF SERVICE CONNECTION FOR DISEASES 
              ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO HERBICIDE AGENTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1116(e) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ``September 30, 2015'' and inserting ``September 
30, 2025''.
    (b) Treatment of Reports Received During Expired Period.--Each 
report described in section 1116(c)(1)(A) of such title that was 
received by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the period 
beginning on September 30, 2015, and ending on the date of the 
enactment of this Act shall be treated, for purposes of such section, 
as if it were received by the Secretary on the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
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