,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cfi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #bc1 #bjac  
,mr4 ,benishek introduced the following 
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code1 to establish a           
presumption of service connection for   
certain veterans with tinnitus or       
hearing loss4  #a4 ,short title ,this   
,act may be cited as the ,reducing      
,barriers to ,veterans' ,benefits ,act4 
#b4 ,findings ,congress finds the       
following3  7#a7 ,tinnitus is the most  
common service-connected disability for 
veterans from all periods of service1   
accounting for almost #hda1jjj          
individuals4  7#b7 ,hearing loss is the 
second leading service-connected        
disability for veterans from all periods
 of service1 accounting for almost      
#gjb1jjj individuals4  7#c7 ,since      
fiscal year #aiii1 the number of        
veterans with service-connected         

disability for tinnitus has increased by
 an average rate of #ag percent each    
year4  7#d7 ,the number of tinnitus     
disabilities has grown from #abh1fjj in 
fiscal year #aiii to #hdj1ijj in fiscal 
year #bjaa1 an increase of more than    
#ejj percent4  #c4 ,presumption of      
service-connection for hearing loss and 
tinnitus  7a7 ,presumption  7#a7 ,in    
general ,subchapter ,,ii of chapter #aa 
of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is 
amended by adding at the end the        
following new section3  #aaai4          
,presumption of service connection for  
hearing loss associated with particular 
military occupational specialties or    
combat service  7a7 ,in general  7#a7   
,for purposes of section #aaaj of this  
title1 and subject to section #aaac of  
this title1 diagnosed hearing loss1     
tinnitus1 or both of a veteran described
 in paragraph 7#b7 shall be considered  
to have been incurred in or aggravated  
by the service of the veteran1          
notwithstanding that there is no record 

of evidence of such hearing loss or     
tinnitus1 as the case may be1 during the
 period of such service4  7#b7 ,a       
veteran described in this paragraph is a
 veteran who while on active military1  
naval1 or air service--  7,a7 was       
assigned to a military occupational     
specialty or equivalent described in    
subsection 7b72 or  7,b7 served in      
combat against a hostile force during a 
period of hostilities 7as defined in    
section #agab;,a7a77#b77;,b7 of this    
title74  7b7 ,military occupational     
specialty ,a military occupational      
specialty or equivalent referred to in  
subsection 7a77#b77;,a7 is a military   
occupational specialty or equivalent1 if
 any1 that the ,secretary determines in 
regulations prescribed under this       
section in which individuals assigned to
 such military occupational specialty or
 equivalent in the active military1     
naval1 or air service are or were likely
 to be exposed to a sufficiently high   
level of acoustic trauma as to result in

 permanent hearing loss1 tinnitus1 or   
both4  7c7 ,determination  7#a7 ,if the 
,secretary determines under subsection  
7b7 that a presumption of service       
connection is warranted for a military  
occupational specialty or equivalent1   
the ,secretary1 not later than #fj days 
after the date of the determination1    
shall issue proposed regulations setting
 forth the ,secretary's determination4  
7#b7 ,if the ,secretary determines under
 subsection 7b7 that a presumption of   
service connection is not warranted for 
a military occupational specialty or    
equivalent1 the ,secretary1 not later   
than #fj days after the date of the     
determination1 shall--  7,a7 publish the
 determination in the ,federal          
,register2 and  7,b7 submit to the      
,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of   
the ,senate and the ,house of           
,representatives a report on the        
determination1 including a justification
 for the determination4  4  7#b7        
,clerical amendment ,the table of       

sections at the beginning of chapter #aa
 of such title is amended by inserting  
after the item relating to section #aaah
 the following new item3  #aaai4        
,presumption of service connection for  
hearing loss associated with particular 
military occupational specialties or    
combat service4  4  7b7 ,presumption    
rebuttable ,section #aaac of title #ch1 
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
striking or #aaah each place it appears 
and inserting #aaah1 or #aaai4  7c7     
,presumption during peacetime service   
,section #aacg of title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code1 is amended by striking   
and #aaac and inserting #aaac1 and      
#aaai4  7d7 ,effective date ,section    
#aaai of title #ch1 ,united ,states     
,code1 as added by subsection 7a77#a71  
shall apply with respect to a claim for 
compensation made on or after the date  
that is #fj days after the date on which
 the ,secretary prescribes regulations  
pursuant to subsection 7c77#a7 of such  
section4