H.R. 3795House110th Congress (2007-2009)In Committee

You Were There, You Get Care Act of 2007

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Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee

June 12, 2008

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

October 10, 2007

HouseIntro Referral

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2120)

October 10, 2007

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

October 10, 2007

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee

October 15, 2007

HouseCommittee

Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee

June 12, 2008

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 3795 on the floor

1 Democrat

Rep. Bob FilnerD-CA-51 · Oct 10, 2007

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge support for two bills I have just reintroduced, the ``Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act'' (H.R. 3794) and the ``You Were…

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge support for two bills I have just reintroduced, the ``Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act'' (H.R. 3794) and the ``You Were There, You Get Care Act'' (H.R. 3795).

The Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act (H.R. 3794) directs the Department of Justice to obtain the records of all Atomic Veterans from the Department of Energy Operations Office in Nevada. Using these records, they are to locate and advise all veterans or their surviving widows of their rights under RECA and guide them in filing a claim for the compensation that is due them.

RECA is the program passed by Congress in 1990 (P.L. 101-426) that provides compassionate payments to individuals who contract cancers and other serious diseases as a result of their exposure to radiation from above ground tests of nuclear weapons or from employment in underground uranium mines.

Because the VA did not provide medical care to Atomic Veterans in many cases, many died at an early age. So there are thousands of widows, many on fixed incomes, who have never heard of RECA and do not know that they may be eligible for compensation. My bill will help them apply and receive substantial compassionate payments to ease their burden.

The You Were There, You Get Care Act (H.R. 3795) ensures that veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and subsequent conflicts will be considered ``service-connected disabled'' for any illnesses currently covered by RECA and other diseases found by the Veterans Affairs Secretary to result from depleted uranium exposure.

Depleted uranium is an incredibly effective weapon, but its residue has a half-life of 4 billion years and many believe that it is a carcinogen. We simply cannot allow another generation of veterans to be treated as were the Atomic Veterans.

In addition, this bill calls for an in-depth medical study to be conducted by independent civilian medical entities, independent of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, to determine other diseases that may result from exposure to depleted uranium.

We need to ensure that veterans from the Gulf War and all wars waged since will not die an early and painful death without the health care and compensation they need and deserve.

Taken together, my bills make a bold statement--that when young men and women volunteer for service, they can count on their government to compensate them and care for them if their service lends to illnesses. These assurances are so important and so necessary and should aid in the recruitment and retention of military personnel.

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued October 10, 2007

        [Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3795 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3795

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide that veterans of
service in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and subsequent conflicts shall be
considered to be radiation-exposed veterans for purposes of the
service-connection of certain diseases and disabilities, and for other
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 10, 2007

Mr. Filner introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide that veterans of
service in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and subsequent conflicts shall be
considered to be radiation-exposed veterans for purposes of the
service-connection of certain diseases and disabilities, 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 ``You Were There, You Get Care Act of
2007''.

SEC. 2. RADIATION EXPOSURE PRESUMPTIONS FOR VETERANS WHO SERVED IN THE
1991 PERSIAN GULF WAR AND SUBSEQUENT CONFLICTS.

(a) Presumptions.--Section 1112(c) of title 38, United States Code,
is amended--
(1) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the following new
paragraph:
``(V) Any other disease that is covered under section 3.309
or 3.311 of title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations and any
other disease found by the Secretary to result from exposure to
depleted uranium or the by-products of the burn-off that occurs
when a depleted uranium munition penetrates a target.''; and
(2) by adding at the end of paragraph (3)(B) the following
new clause:
``(v) Service during the Persian Gulf War or any
subsequent conflict in which depleted uranium munitions
are used, if that service is in the theater of
operations of that war or conflict or involved the
clean-up or servicing of vehicles or equipment that had
been in such a theater of operations.''.
(b) Independent Civilian Medical Study.--The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall provide for the conduct by civilian medical entities
independent of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans
Affairs of in-depth medical study to determine other diseases (in
addition to those covered by section 1112(c) of title 38, United States
Code, as amended by subsection (a)(1)) that may result from exposure to
depleted uranium. Upon receipt of the report providing the results of
that independent study, the Secretary shall transmit a copy of the
report to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House
of Representatives.
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