US Congress Senate Bill 437

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Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: Introduced on February 24 2021 - 25% progression
Action: 2021-04-28 - Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to concede, for the purposes of health care benefits and wartime disability compensation, that a veteran was exposed to certain toxic substances, chemicals, and hazards from burn pits if such veteran served on active duty in a covered location during a specified time frame (unless there is affirmative evidence to establish that the veteran was not exposed during such service). A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment. Specifically, the bill covers the following locations and corresponding time periods: Iraq between August 2, 1990, and February 28, 1991, as well as from March 19, 2003, until burn pits are no longer used in this location; Southwest Asia (including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar) from August 2, 1990, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations; and Afghanistan, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, and Djibouti from September 11, 2001, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations. Under the bill, if an exposed veteran submits insufficient evidence to establish a service-connection for purposes of disability compensation, the VA shall provide a medical examination and request a medical opinion regarding a causal link between the disability and a toxin, chemical, or hazard.

Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021

Sen. Dan Sullivan [R-AK]	Sen. Joe Manchin [D-WV]	Sen. Thom Tillis [R-NC]	Sen. Margaret Hassan [D-NH]
Sen. Kevin Cramer [R-ND]	Sen. Krysten Sinema [D-AZ]	Sen. James Risch [R-ID]	Sen. Ron Wyden [D-OR]
Sen. Chris Van Hollen [D-MD]	Sen. Mike Crapo [R-ID]	Sen. John Boozman [R-AR]	Sen. Christopher Coons [D-DE]
Sen. Marsha Blackburn [R-TN]	Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D-MD]	Sen. Susan Collins [R-ME]	Sen. Rob Portman [R-OH]
Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R-AK]	Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX]	Sen. Roger Marshall [R-KS]	Sen. Steve Daines [R-MT]
Sen. Mike Rounds [R-SD]	Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-MA]	Sen. Bill Hagerty [R-TN]	Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]
Sen. Shelley Capito [R-WV]	Sen. Tammy Baldwin [D-WI]	Sen. Todd Young [R-IN]	Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D-CT]
Sen. Roger Wicker [R-MS]	Sen. Bernard Sanders [I-VT]	Sen. Ted Cruz [R-TX]	Sen. Angus King [I-ME]
Sen. Gary Peters [D-MI]	Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith [R-MS]	Sen. Roy Blunt [R-MO]	Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Sen. Bill Cassidy [R-LA]	Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]	Sen. Rick Scott [R-FL]

Date	Chamber	Action
2021-04-28	Senate	Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.
2021-02-24	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

HB2436 (Related) 2021-07-14 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/437/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/s437/BILLS-117s437is.pdf