,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #aaie  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april #aa1    
#bjai,mrs4 ,gillibrand 7for herself1    
,mr4 ,daines1 ,mr4 ,tester1 ,ms4 ,cortez
 ,masto1 ,mr4 ,portman1 ,mr4 ,schumer1  
,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 
,mr4 ,jones1 ,ms4 ,murkowski1 ,ms4      
,rosen1 ,ms4 ,sinema1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,ms4
 ,cantwell1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,merkley1
 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,hoeven1 ,mrs4  
,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,rounds1 ,mr4 ,coons1  
,mr4 ,gardner1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,mr4       
,boozman1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,schatz1   
,mr4 ,udall1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,ms4          
,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 and ,mr4       
,menendez7 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 clarify       
presumptions relating to the exposure of
 certain veterans who served in the     
vicinity of the ,republic of ,vietnam1  
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     

title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,blue ,water ,navy ,vietnam ,veterans   
,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,clarification of   
presumptions of exposure for veterans   
who served in vicinity of ,republic of  
,vietnam  7a7 ,compensation ,subsections
 7a77#a7 and 7f7 of section #aaaf of    
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 are   
amended by inserting 7including the     
territorial seas of such ,republic      
pursuant to the maximum extent          
authorized by international law7 after  
served in the ,republic of ,vietnam each
 place it appears4  7b7 ,health care    
,section #agaj7;e77#d7 of such title is 
amended by inserting 7including the     
territorial seas of such ,republic      
pursuant to the maximum extent          
authorized by international law7 after  
served on active duty in the ,republic  
of ,vietnam4  7c7 ,effective date ,the  
amendments made by subsections 7a7 and  
7b7 shall take effect as of ,september  
#be1 #aihe4  #c4 ,presumption of        
herbicide exposure for certain veterans 

who served in ,korea  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     
herbicide exposure for certain veterans 
who served in ,korea  7a7 ,presumption  
of service-,connection  7#a7 ,for the   
purposes of section #aaaj of this title1
 and subject to section #aaac of this   
title1 a disease specified in subsection
 7b7 that becomes manifest as specified 
in that subsection in a veteran         
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 disease during the  
period of such service4  7#b7 ,a veteran
 described in this paragraph is a       
veteran who1 during active military1    
naval1 or air service1 served in or near
 the ,korean ,demilitarized ,zone       
7,,dmz71 during the period beginning on 

,september #a1 #aifg1 and ending on     
,august #ca1 #aiga4  7b7 ,diseases ,a   
disease specified in this subsection    
is-- 7#a7 a disease specified in        
paragraph 7#b7 of subsection 7a7 of     
section #aaaf of this title that becomes
 manifest as specified in that          
paragraph2 or  7#b7 any additional      
disease that-- 7,a7 the ,secretary      
determines in regulations warrants a    
presumption of service-connection by    
reason of having positive association   
with exposure to an herbicide agent2 and
  7,b7 becomes manifest within any      
period prescribed in such regulations4  
7c7 ,herbicide agent ,for purposes of   
this section1 the term herbicide agent  
has the meaning given such term in      
section #ahba7;d7 of this title4  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 herbicide exposure for  

certain veterans who served in ,korea4  
4  #d4 ,benefits for children of certain
 ,thailand service veterans born with   
spina bifida  7a7 ,in general           
,subchapter ,,iii of chapter #ah of     
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended by adding at the end the        
following new section3  #ahbb4 ,benefits
 for children of certain ,thailand      
service veterans born with spina bifida 
7a7 ,benefits authorized ,the ,secretary
 may provide to any child of a veteran  
of covered service in ,thailand who is  
suffering from spina bifida the health  
care1 vocational training and           
rehabilitation1 and monetary allowance  
required to be paid to a child of a     
,vietnam veteran who is suffering from  
spina bifida under subchapter ,i of this
 chapter as if such child of a veteran  
of covered service in ,thailand were a  
child of a ,vietnam veteran who is      
suffering from spina bifida under such  
subchapter4  7b7 ,spina bifida          
conditions covered ,this section applies

 with respect to all forms and          
manifestations of spina bifida1 except  
spina bifida occulta4  7c7 ,veteran of  
covered service in ,thailand ,for       
purposes of this section1 a veteran of  
covered service in ,thailand is any     
individual1 without regard to the       
characterization of that individual's   
service1 who--  7#a7 served in the      
active military1 naval1 or air service  
in ,thailand1 as determined by the      
,secretary in consultation with the     
,secretary of ,defense1 during the      
period beginning on ,january #i1 #aifb1 
and ending on ,may #g1 #aige2 and  7#b7 
is determined by the ,secretary1 in     
consultation with the ,secretary of     
,defense1 to have been exposed to a     
herbicide agent during such service in  
,thailand4  7d7 ,herbicide agent ,for   
purposes of this section1 the term      
herbicide agent means a chemical in a   
herbicide used in support of ,united    
,states and allied military operations  
in ,thailand1 as determined by the      

,secretary in consultation with the     
,secretary of ,defense1 during the      
period beginning on ,january #i1 #aifb1 
and ending on ,may #g1 #aige4  4  7b7   
,conforming amendment to definition of  
child ,section #ahca7a7 of such title is
 amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,b7--  
7,a7 by striking subchapter ,,iii of    
this chapter and inserting section #ahba
 of this title2 and  7,b7 in clause 7i71
 by striking section #ahba of this title
 and inserting that section2 and  7#b7  
by adding at the end the following new  
subparagraph3  7,c7 ,for purposes of    
section #ahbb of this title1 an         
individual1 regardless of age or marital
 status1 who--  7i7 is the natural child
 of a veteran of covered service in     
,thailand 7as determined for purposes of
 that section72 and  7ii7 was conceived 
after the date on which that veteran    
first entered service described in      
subsection 7c7 of that section4  4  7c7 
,clerical amendments  7#a7 ,subchapter  
heading ,the heading for subchapter     

,,iii of chapter #ah of such title is   
amended by inserting and ,thailand after
 ,korea4  7#b7 ,table of sections ,the  
table of sections at the beginning of   
chapter #ah of such title is amended--  
7,a7 by striking the item relating to   
subchapter ,,iii and inserting the      
following new item3  ,subchapter        
,,iii--,children of ,certain ,korea and 
,thailand ,service ,veterans ,born with 
,spina ,bifida  2  and  7,b7 by         
inserting after the item relating to    
section #ahba the following new item3   
#ahbb4 ,benefits for children of certain
 ,thailand service veterans born with   
spina bifida4  4  7d7 ,report ,not later
 than #ahj days after the date of the   
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs1 in consultation  
with the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall  
submit to the ,committees on ,veterans' 
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives and the ,senate a      
report identifying--  7#a7 the military 
installations of the ,united ,states    

located in ,thailand during the period  
beginning on ,january #i1 #aifb1 and    
ending on ,may #g1 #aige1 at which an   
herbicide agent 7as defined in section  
#ahbb of title #ch1 ,united ,states     
,code1 as added by subsection 7a77 was  
actively used2 and  7#b7 the period of  
such use4  #e4 ,updated report on       
certain ,gulf ,war ,illness study ,not  
later than #ahj days after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
submit to the ,committees on ,veterans' 
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives and the ,senate an     
updated report on the findings1 as of   
the date of the updated report1 of the  
,follow-,up ,study of a ,national       
,cohort of ,gulf ,war and ,gulf ,era    
,veterans under the epidemiology program
 of the ,department of ,veterans        
,affairs4