,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dfge ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #c1 #bjbf,ms4 ,rosen 7for herself and ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to improve benefits for veterans who may have been exposed to toxic substances1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,sergeant ,dave ,crete ,fighting for the ,overlooked ,recognition of ,groups ,operating in ,toxic ,test ,environments in ,nevada ,veterans ,act of #bjbf or the ,sergeant ,dave ,crete ,,forgotten ,veterans ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,active military1 naval1 air1 or space service ,the term active military1 naval1 air1 or space service has the meaning given that term in section #aja7bd7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,covered location ,the term covered location means-- 7,a7 any facility on the most recent list of facilities covered under the ,energy ,employees ,occupational ,illness ,compensation ,program ,act of #bjjj 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gchd et seq47 published in the ,federal ,register by the ,department of ,energy2 or 7,b7 with respect to service on or after ,january #bg1 #aiea1 any location within the ,nevada ,test and ,training ,range or the ,nevada ,national ,security ,site 7as defined on ,may #ai1 #bjbf74 7#c7 ,toxic exposure ,the term toxic exposure has the meaning given that term in section #aja7cg7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 #c4 ,coordination with ,department of ,defense to identify veterans who performed military service at covered locations 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall establish and carry out a process to identify veterans who served at a covered location and may have encountered toxic exposure during active military1 naval1 air1 or space service4 7b7 ,use of available information ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall use-- 7#a7 military personnel and deployment records maintained by the ,department of ,defense2 and 7#b7 information provided by veterans through the registry established under section #g4 7c7 ,no affirmative evidence required ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs may not require a veteran to provide affirmative evidence of exposure to a specific toxic substance if service at a covered location is established4 #d4 ,treatment as radiation-risk activities by ,department of ,veterans ,affairs ,section #aaab7;c77#c77;,b7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new clause3 7viii7 ,active military1 naval1 air1 or space service1 or onsite participation in any aspect of the development1 construction1 operation1 or maintenance of a military installation 7as defined in section #bhja of title #aj71 within the area that comprises the ,nevada ,test and ,training ,range and the ,nevada ,national ,security ,site1 as defined on ,may #ai1 #bjbf1 during the period beginning on ,january #bg1 #aiea1 and ending on the date which the ,secretary of ,defense1 with independent verification1 certifies that the area that comprises the ,nevada ,test and ,training ,range and the ,nevada ,national ,security ,site no longer pose radiation risk to personnel present1 or enactment of the ,sergeant ,dave ,crete ,fighting for the ,overlooked ,recognition of ,groups ,operating in ,toxic ,test ,environments in ,nevada ,veterans ,act of #bjbf1 whichever is later4 4 #e4 ,presumption of toxic exposure for veterans who served at covered locations and presumption of service connection for certain diseases ,section #aaai7;c77#a7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,a77viii71 by striking 2 or and inserting a semicolon2 7#b7 in subparagraph 7,b77ix71 by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs3 7,c7 at any time1 performed active military1 naval1 air1 or space service while assigned to a duty station in1 including airspace above1 any facility on the most recent list of facilities covered under the ,energy ,employees ,occupational ,illness ,compensation ,program ,act of #bjjj 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gchd et seq47 published in the ,federal ,register by the ,department of ,energy2 or 7,d7 on or after ,january #bg1 #aiea1 performed active military1 naval1 air1 or space service while assigned to a duty station in1 including airspace above1 any location within the area that comprises the ,nevada ,test and ,training ,range and the ,nevada ,national ,security ,site1 as defined on ,may #ai1 #bjbf4 4 #f4 ,study on toxic exposures at covered locations 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall seek to enter into an agreement with the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services or another appropriate scientific organization to study potential toxic exposures and environmental hazards at covered locations4 7b7 ,study ,the study required under subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 identify exposures associated with military occupations of veterans who served at covered locations1 including exposures relating to chemicals1 compounds1 agents1 and other phenomena2 and 7#b7 review the literature to determine associations between such exposures and the incidence or prevalence of overall cancer morbidity and overall cancer mortality1 and determine1 to the extent possible1 the prevalence and mortality of cancers among such veterans by using available sources of data1 which may include-- 7,a7 health care and other administrative databases of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 the ,department of ,defense1 and the military departments1 respectively2 and 7,b7 the national death index maintained by the ,national ,center for ,health ,statistics of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention4 7c7 ,transfer authority ,amounts authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary of ,defense to carry out the study required under subsection 7a7 may be transferred without regard to section #bbae of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 to the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to pay for the study4 7d7 ,report ,at the conclusion of the study required under subsection 7a71 the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services or other appropriate scientific organization1 as the case may be1 shall submit to the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,president of the ,national ,academies of ,sciences1 ,engineering1 and ,medicine1 and the ,chair of the ,national ,research ,council a report containing the results of the study4 #g4 ,establishment of covered location veteran registry 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall establish and maintain a registry of veterans who served at covered locations who may have encountered toxic exposure during active military1 naval1 air1 or space service 7in this section referred to as the registry74 7b7 ,purposes ,the registry shall be used to-- 7#a7 collect1 process1 maintain1 and consolidate epidemiological information required to analyze incidence of adverse health effects among veterans who served in covered locations2 7#b7 facilitate coordination between the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs and the ,department of ,defense to verify service2 7#c7 inform veterans of available health care1 benefits1 and screenings2 and 7#d7 support outreach1 research1 and claims adjudication related to toxic exposure4 7c7 ,opt-,out and recruitment 7#a7 ,opt-out ,participants must have the opportunity to opt-out of inclusion in the registry4 7#b7 ,recruitment ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall recruit veterans described in subsection 7a7 who are not represented in data sources of the ,department of ,defense or the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4 7d7 ,data-,sharing ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall share information collected through the registry with the ,secretary of ,defense1 consistent with applicable privacy and security laws1 for purposes of identifying affected veterans and improving care and benefits delivery4 #h4 ,classification of certain facilities as locations where contamination occurred and members of the ,armed ,forces were exposed to toxic substances 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall classify the following locations as a location where contamination occurred3 7#a7 ,on and after ,january #bg1 #aiea1 the ,nevada ,test and ,training ,range1 including the ,nevada ,national ,security ,site 7as such site is defined on ,may #ai1 #bjbf74 7#b7 ,any facility on the most recent list of facilities covered under the ,energy ,employees ,occupational ,illness ,compensation ,program ,act of #bjjj 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gchd et seq47 published in the ,federal ,register by the ,secretary of ,energy4 7b7 ,identification process 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall establish a process to identify members of the ,armed ,forces and former members of the ,armed ,forces that were stationed at a facility specified in subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,documentation ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall establish a process to permit members of the ,armed ,forces and former members of the ,armed ,forces to provide documentation or evidence of their assignment at a facility specified in subsection 7a7 to assist the ,secretary in identifying those members and former members under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,efforts ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall make all efforts to identify individuals described in paragraph 7#a7 and shall not require members of the ,armed ,forces or former members of the ,armed ,forces to submit evidence of their stationing4 7c7 ,sharing of information ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall share with the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs all information and documentation gathered under subsection 7b7 in order to provide the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs with adequate documentation of the service of members of the ,armed ,forces and former members of the ,armed ,forces at facilities specified in subsection 7a7 and any injuries1 exposures1 or illnesses related to such service1 for the purpose of establishing any claim for benefits under the laws administered by the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to which such members and former members are legally entitled4