S.Amdt. 5837

SA 5837 is an amendment proposed by Ms. Rosen, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mrs. Blackburn. It aims to add a subtitle titled Veterans Exposed to Toxic Substances to bill S. 4784.

The purpose of this amendment is to address the needs of veterans who served at covered locations and may have encountered toxic exposure. It adds the following requirements to the bill:

• Identifying Veterans: The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must work with the Secretary of Defense to find veterans who served at covered locations. This process will use deployment records and a new registry. If service at a covered location is proven, the veteran does not have to provide evidence of exposure to a specific toxic substance.

• Radiation-Risk Activities: It updates the law to treat service or work (development, construction, operation, or maintenance) at the Nevada Test and Training Range and the Nevada National Security Site as radiation-risk activities. This applies from January 27, 1951, until the Secretary of Defense certifies the area no longer poses a radiation risk or the clause is enacted, whichever is later.

• Toxic Exposure Study: The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense must seek an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services or another scientific group to study environmental hazards and toxic exposures at covered locations. The study will look at military occupations and the link between these exposures and cancer rates.

• Veteran Registry: The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must create and manage a registry for veterans who served at covered locations. This registry is intended to:

• Collect health data.

• Verify service.

• Inform veterans about benefits, screenings, and health care.

• Support research and claims.

The registry will allow veterans to opt-out and will include efforts to recruit veterans not already found in Department of Defense or Veterans Affairs data.