,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ajbd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april #c1     
#bjai,ms4 ,stabenow 7for herself and    
,mr4 ,peters7 introduced the following  
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1       
,united ,states ,code1 to furnish       
hospital care and medical services to   
veterans1 members of the reserve        
components of the ,armed ,forces1 and   
dependents who were stationed at        
,wurtsmith ,air ,force ,base in ,oscoda1
 ,michigan1 and were exposed to volatile
 organic compounds1 to provide for a    
presumption of service connection for   
those veterans and members of the       
reserve components1 and for other       
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,care for ,veterans 
,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,hospital care and  
medical services for veterans1 members  
of the reserve components1 and          
dependents stationed at ,wurtsmith ,air 

,force ,base in ,oscoda1 ,michigan1 who 
were exposed to volatile organic        
compounds  7a7 ,hospital care and       
medical services for veterans and       
members of the reserve components  7#a7 
,in general ,paragraph 7#a7 of section  
#agaj7;e7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states 
,code1 is amended by adding at the end  
the following new subparagraph3  7,g7   
7i7 ,beginning on the date that is #ij  
days after the date of the enactment of 
this subparagraph1 subject to paragraph 
7#b71 a veteran who served on active    
duty in the ,armed ,forces1 or an       
individual who served as a member of the
 reserve components of the ,armed       
,forces1 at ,wurtsmith ,air ,force ,base
 in ,oscoda1 ,michigan1 during a period 
determined by the ,secretary1 in        
consultation with the ,agency for ,toxic
 ,substances and ,disease ,registry of  
the ,department of ,health and ,human   
,services1 and was exposed to a         
substance specified in clause 7ii7 is   
eligible for hospital care and medical  

services under subsection 7a77#b77;,f7  
for the diseases1 illnesses1 or         
conditions specified in clause 7iii71   
notwithstanding that there is           
insufficient medical evidence to        
conclude that such disease1 illness1 or 
condition is attributable to such       
service4  7ii7 ,the substances specified
 in this clause are volatile organic    
compounds1 including trichloroethylene  
and benzene4  7iii7 ,the diseases1      
illnesses1 and conditions specified in  
this clause are the diseases1 illnesses1
 and conditions determined by the       
,secretary1 in consultation with the    
,agency for ,toxic ,substances and      
,disease ,registry1 to have resulted    
from exposure to volatile organic       
compounds pursuant to the health        
consultation conducted by the ,agency   
for ,toxic ,substances and ,disease     
,registry dated ,july #bg1 #bjah1 or any
 other research conducted by a ,federal 
agency4  4  7#b7 ,limitation ,paragraph 
7#b77;,b7 of such section is amended by 

striking or 7,f7 and inserting 7,f71 or 
7,g74  7b7 ,family members  7#a7 ,in    
general ,subchapter ,,viii of chapter   
#ag of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 is amended by inserting after section  
#aghg the following new section3        
#aghg;,a4 ,health care of family members
 of individuals stationed at ,wurtsmith 
,air ,force ,base in ,oscoda1 ,michigan1
 who were exposed to volatile organic   
compounds  7a7 ,in general ,beginning on
 the date that is #ij days after the    
date of the enactment of this section1  
subject to subsection 7b71 a family     
member of a veteran described in clause 
7i7 of section #agaj7;e77#a77;,g7 of    
this title 7or who would be so described
 but for the condition by which the     
individual was discharged or released   
from the ,armed ,forces71 or a family   
member of a member of the reserve       
components of the ,armed ,forces        
described in such clause1 who resided at
 ,wurtsmith ,air ,force ,base in        
,oscoda1 ,michigan1 during the period   

determined under such clause and was    
exposed to a substance specified in     
clause 7ii7 of such section or who was  
in utero while the mother of such family
 member resided at such location during 
such period and was exposed to such a   
substance shall be eligible for hospital
 care and medical services furnished by 
the ,secretary for any disease1 illness1
 or condition for which an individual   
may receive hospital care and medical   
services under clause 7iii7 of such     
section1 notwithstanding that there is  
insufficient medical evidence to        
conclude that such disease1 illness1 or 
condition is attributable to such       
residence4  7b7 ,limitations  7#a7 ,the 
,secretary may only furnish hospital    
care and medical services under         
subsection 7a7 to the extent and in the 
amount provided in advance in           
appropriations ,acts for such purpose4  
7#b7 ,hospital care and medical services
 may not be furnished under subsection  
7a7 for a disease1 illness1 or condition

 of a family member that is found1 in   
accordance with guidelines issued by the
 ,under ,secretary for ,health1 to have 
resulted from a cause other than the    
residence of the family member described
 in that subsection4  7#c7 ,the         
,secretary may provide reimbursement for
 hospital care or medical services      
provided to a family member under this  
section only after the family member or 
the provider of such care or services   
has exhausted without success all claims
 and remedies reasonably available to   
the family member or provider against a 
third party 7as defined in section      
#agbe7;f7 of this title7 for payment of 
such care or services1 including with   
respect to health-plan contracts 7as    
defined in such section74  4  7#b7      
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of such       
chapter is amended by inserting after   
the item relating to section #aghg the  
following new item3  #aghg;,a4 ,health  
care of family members of individuals   

stationed at ,wurtsmith ,air ,force     
,base in ,oscoda1 ,michigan1 who were   
exposed to volatile organic compounds4  
4  7c7 ,annual reports  7#a7 ,in general
 ,during the three-year period beginning
 on the date of the enactment of this   
,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans       
,affairs shall submit to the ,committee 
on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate   
and the ,committee on ,veterans'        
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives an annual report on the
 care and services provided under       
sections #agaj7;e77#a77;,g7 and #aghg;,a
 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code 7as
 added by subsections 7a7 and 7b77#a71  
respectively74  7#b7 ,elements ,each    
report under paragraph 7#a7 shall set   
forth the following3 7,a7 ,the number of
 veterans1 members of the reserve       
components of the ,armed ,forces1 and   
family members provided hospital care   
and medical services under the          
provisions of law specified in paragraph
 7#a7 during the period covered by the  

report4  7,b7 ,the illnesses1           
conditions1 and disabilities for which  
care and services have been provided    
such veterans1 members of the reserve   
components1 and family members under    
such provisions of law during that      
period4  7,c7 ,the number of veterans1  
members of the reserve components1 and  
family members who applied for care and 
services under such provisions of law   
during that period but were denied1     
including information on the reasons for
 such denials4  7,d7 ,the number of     
veterans1 members of the reserve        
components1 and family members who      
applied for care and services under such
 provisions of law and are awaiting a   
decision from the ,secretary on         
eligibility for such care and services  
as of the date of such report4  #c4     
,presumption of service connection for  
certain individuals stationed at        
,wurtsmith ,air ,force ,base in ,oscoda1
 ,michigan1 who were exposed to volatile
 organic compounds  7a7 ,in general     

,chapter #aa of title #ch1 ,united      
,states ,code1 is amended by inserting  
after section #aaaf the following new   
section3  #aaaf;,a4 ,presumption of     
service connection for certain          
individuals stationed at ,wurtsmith ,air
 ,force ,base in ,oscoda1 ,michigan1 who
 were exposed to volatile organic       
compounds  7a7 ,presumption of service  
connection  7#a7 ,for the purposes of   
section #aaaj of this title1 and subject
 to section #aaac of this title1 each   
disease1 illness1 or condition specified
 in subsection 7b7 that becomes manifest
 in an individual described in paragraph
 7#b7 shall be considered to have been  
incurred or aggravated in the line of   
duty in the active military1 naval1 or  
air service1 notwithstanding that there 
is no record of evidence of such        
disease1 illness1 or condition during   
the period of such service4  7#b7 ,an   
individual described in this paragraph  
is a veteran who1 during active         
military1 naval1 or air service1 served 

at ,wurtsmith ,air ,force ,base in      
,oscoda1 ,michigan1 or a member of the  
reserve components of the ,armed ,forces
 who served at such base1 during the    
period determined under section         
#agaj7;e77#a77;,g77i7 of this title and 
was exposed to a volatile organic       
compound1 including trichloroethylene or
 benzene4  7b7 ,diseases1 illnesses1 and
 conditions specified ,the diseases1    
illnesses1 and conditions specified in  
this clause are the diseases1 illnesses1
 and conditions determined by the       
,secretary1 in consultation with the    
,agency for ,toxic ,substances and      
,disease ,registry of the ,department of
 ,health and ,human ,services1 to have  
resulted from exposure to volatile      
organic compounds pursuant to the health
 consultation conducted by the ,agency  
for ,toxic ,substances and ,disease     
,registry dated ,july #bg1 #bjah1 or any
 other research conducted by a ,federal 
agency4  4  7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the
 table of sections at the beginning of  

such chapter is amended by inserting    
after the item relating to section #aaaf
 the following new item3  #aaaf;,a4     
,presumption of service connection for  
certain individuals stationed at        
,wurtsmith ,air ,force ,base in ,oscoda1
 ,michigan1 who were exposed to volatile
 organic compounds4  4