PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019 BLUE WATER NAVY VIETNAM VETERANS ACT OF 2019 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Sep 30, 2019 Jkt 089139 PO 00023 Frm 00001 Fmt 6579 Sfmt 6579 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL023.116 PUBL023 dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS 133 STAT. 966 PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019 Public Law 116–23 116th Congress An Act To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019’’. SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF PRESUMPTIONS OF EXPOSURE FOR VET- ERANS WHO SERVED IN VICINITY OF REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM. (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1116 the following new section: ‘‘§ 1116A. Presumptions of service connection for veterans who served offshore of the Republic of Vietnam ‘‘(a) SERVICE CONNECTION.—For the purposes of section 1110 of this title, and subject to section 1113 of this title, a disease covered by section 1116 of this title becoming manifest as specified in that section in a veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, served offshore of the Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, shall be considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by such service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service. ‘‘(b) EXPOSURE.—A veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, served offshore of the Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, shall be presumed to have been exposed during such service to an herbicide agent unless there is affirmative evidence to establish that the veteran was not exposed to any such agent during that service. ‘‘(c) EFFECTIVE DATE OF AWARD.—(1) Except as provided by paragraph (2), the effective date of an award under this section shall be determined in accordance with section 5110 of this title. ‘‘(2)(A) Notwithstanding subsection (g) of section 5110 of this title, the Secretary shall determine the effective date of an award based on a claim under this section for an individual described in subparagraph (B) by treating the date on which the individual filed the prior claim specified in clause (i) of such subparagraph as the date on which the individual filed the claim so awarded under this section. Determination. Determination. Time period. Time period. 38 USC 1116A. Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019. 38 USC 101 note. June 25, 2019 [H.R. 299] VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Sep 30, 2019 Jkt 089139 PO 00023 Frm 00002 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL023.116 PUBL023 dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS 133 STAT. 967 PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019 ‘‘(B) An individual described in this subparagraph is a veteran, or a survivor of a veteran, who meets the following criteria: ‘‘(i) The veteran or survivor submitted a claim for disability compensation on or after September 25, 1985, and before January 1, 2020, for a disease covered by this section, and the claim was denied by reason of the claim not establishing that the disease was incurred or aggravated by the service of the veteran. ‘‘(ii) The veteran or survivor submits a claim for disability compensation on or after January 1, 2020, for the same condi- tion covered by the prior claim under clause (i), and the claim is approved pursuant to this section. ‘‘(d) DETERMINATION OF OFFSHORE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of this section, the Secretary shall treat a location as being offshore of Vietnam if the location is not more than 12 nautical miles seaward of a line commencing on the southwestern demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia and intersecting the following points: ‘‘Points Geographic Names Latitude North Longitude East At Hon Nhan Island, Tho Chu Archipelago Kien Giang Province 9°15.0′ 103°27.0′ At Hon Da Island southeast of Hon Khoai Island Minh Hai Province 8°22.8′ 104°52.4′ At Tai Lon Islet, Con Dao Islet in Con Dao-Vung Toa Special Sector 8°37.8′ 106°37.5′ At Bong Lai Islet, Con Dao Islet 8°38.9′ 106°40.3′ At Bay Canh Islet, Con Dao Islet 8°39.7′ 106°42.1′ At Hon Hai Islet (Phu Qui group of islands) Thuan Hai Province 9°58.0′ 109°5.0′ At Hon Doi Islet, Thuan Hai Province 12°39.0′ 109°28.0′ At Dai Lanh point, Phu Khanh Province 12°53.8′ 109°27.2′ At Ong Can Islet, Phu Khanh Province 13°54.0′ 109°21.0′ At Ly Son Islet, Nghia Binh Province 15°23.1′ 109° 9.0′ At Con Co Island, Binh Tri Thien Province 17°10.0′ 107°20.6′ ‘‘(e) HERBICIDE AGENT.—In this section, the term ‘herbicide agent’ has the meaning given that term in section 1116(a)(3) of this title.’’. Effective date. Time period. Criteria. VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Sep 30, 2019 Jkt 089139 PO 00023 Frm 00003 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL023.116 PUBL023 dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS 133 STAT. 968 PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the begin- ning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1116 the following new item: ‘‘1116A. Presumptions of service connection for veterans who served offshore of the Republic of Vietnam.’’. (c) IMPLEMENTATION.— (1) GUIDANCE.—Notwithstanding section 501 of such title, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may issue guidance to imple- ment section 1116A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), before prescribing new regulations under such section. (2) UPDATES.—(A) Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding the plans of the Secretary— (i) to conduct outreach under subsection (d); and (ii) to respond to inquiries from veterans regarding claims for disability compensation under section 1116A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section. (B) On a quarterly basis during the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date on which regulations are prescribed to carry out such section 1116A, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Vet- erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate updates on the status of such regulations. (3) PENDING CASES.— (A) AUTHORITY TO STAY.—The Secretary may stay a claim described in subparagraph (B) until the date on which the Secretary commences the implementation of such section 1116A. (B) CLAIMS DESCRIBED.—A claim described in this subparagraph is a claim for disability compensation— (i) relating to the service and diseases covered by such section 1116A; and (ii) that is pending at the Veterans Benefits Administration or the Board of Veterans’ Appeals on or after the date of the enactment of this Act and before the date on which the Secretary commences the implementation of such section 1116A. (d) OUTREACH.— (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct outreach to inform veterans described in paragraph (2) of the ability to submit a claim for disability compensation under section 1116A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). Such outreach shall include the following: (A) The Secretary shall publish on the website of the Department a notice that a veterans described in paragraph (2) may submit or resubmit a claim for disability compensa- tion under such section 1116A. (B) The Secretary shall notify in writing the veteran service organization community of the ability of veterans described in paragraph (2) to submit or resubmit claims for disability compensation under such section 1116A. Notification. Web posting. Notice. 38 USC 1116A note. Time period. Time period. Reports. 38 USC 1116A note. 38 USC 1101 prec. VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Sep 30, 2019 Jkt 089139 PO 00023 Frm 00004 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL023.116 PUBL023 dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS 133 STAT. 969 PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019 (2) VETERAN DESCRIBED.—A veteran described in this para- graph is a veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, served offshore of the Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975. (e) REPORTS.—Not later than January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter for 2 years, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representa- tives and the Senate a report regarding claims for disability com- pensation under section 1116A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). Each report shall include, with respect to the calendar year preceding the report, disaggregated by the regional offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the following: (1) The number of claims filed under such section. (2) The number of such claims granted. (3) The number of such claims denied. (f) HEALTH CARE.—Section 1710(e)(4) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘(including offshore of such Republic as described in section 1116A(d) of this title)’’ after ‘‘served on active duty in the Republic of Vietnam’’. (g) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section shall take effect on January 1, 2020. SEC. 3. PRESUMPTION OF HERBICIDE EXPOSURE FOR CERTAIN VET- ERANS WHO SERVED IN KOREA. (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1116A, as added by section 2, the following new section: ‘‘§ 1116B. Presumption of herbicide exposure for certain vet- erans who served in Korea ‘‘(a) PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE-CONNECTION.—(1) For the pur- poses of section 1110 of this title, and subject to section 1113 of this title, a disease specified in subsection (b) that becomes manifest as specified in that subsection in a veteran described in paragraph (2) shall be considered to have been incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military, naval, or air service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service. ‘‘(2) A veteran described in this paragraph is a veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), during the period beginning on September 1, 1967, and ending on August 31, 1971. ‘‘(b) DISEASES.—A disease specified in this subsection is— ‘‘(1) a disease specified in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of section 1116 of this title that becomes manifest as specified in that paragraph; or ‘‘(2) any additional disease that— ‘‘(A) the Secretary determines in regulations warrants a presumption of service-connection by reason of having positive association with exposure to an herbicide agent; and ‘‘(B) becomes manifest within any period prescribed in such regulations. ‘‘(c) HERBICIDE AGENT.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘herbicide agent’ has the meaning given such term in section 1821(d) of this title.’’. Determination. Regulations. Time period. 38 USC 1116B. 38 USC 1116A note. Time period. VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Sep 30, 2019 Jkt 089139 PO 00023 Frm 00005 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL023.116 PUBL023 dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS 133 STAT. 970 PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the begin- ning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1116A, as added by section 2, the following new item: ‘‘1116B. Presumption of herbicide exposure for certain veterans who served in Korea.’’. (c) IMPLEMENTATION.— (1) GUIDANCE.—Notwithstanding section 501 of such title, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may issue guidance to imple- ment section 1116B of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), before prescribing new regulations under such section. (2) UPDATES.—(A) Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding the plans of the Secretary to respond to inquiries from veterans regarding claims for disability compensation under section 1116B of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section. (B) On a quarterly basis during the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date on which regulations are prescribed to carry out such section 1116B, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Vet- erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate updates on the status of such regulations. (3) PENDING CASES.— (A) AUTHORITY TO STAY.—The Secretary may stay a claim described in subparagraph (B) until the date on which the Secretary commences the implementation of sec- tion 1116B of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). (B) CLAIMS DESCRIBED.—A claim described in this subparagraph is a claim for disability compensation— (i) relating to the service and diseases covered by such section 1116B; and (ii) that is pending at the Veterans Benefits Administration or the Board of Veterans’ Appeals on or after the date of the enactment of this Act and before the date on which the Secretary commences the implementation of such section 1116B. (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section shall take effect on January 1, 2020. SEC. 4. BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN OF CERTAIN THAILAND SERVICE VETERANS BORN WITH SPINA BIFIDA. (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 18 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: ‘‘§ 1822. Benefits for children of certain Thailand service vet- erans born with spina bifida ‘‘(a) 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 care, vocational training and rehabilita- tion, and monetary allowance required to be paid to a child of a Vietnam veteran who is suffering from spina bifida under sub- chapter I of this chapter as if such child of a veteran of covered 38 USC 1822. 38 USC 1116B note. Time period. Time period. Reports. 38 USC 1116B note. 38 USC 1101 prec. VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Sep 30, 2019 Jkt 089139 PO 00023 Frm 00006 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL023.116 PUBL023 dkrause on DSKBC28HB2PROD with PUBLAWS 133 STAT. 971 PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019 service in Thailand were a child of a Vietnam veteran who is suffering from spina [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]