Veterans Preventive Health Coverage Fairness Act This bill eliminates veterans' copayments for medication, hospital care, and medical services related to preventive health services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill expands the definition of preventive health services to include (1) evidence-based items or services that have an A or B rating in the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force; (2) immunizations that have a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved; and (3) with respect to women, the preventive care and screenings provided for in the Health Resources and Services Administration Preventive Services Guidelines in effect as of January 1, 2017.
Lethal Means Safety Training Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update its Lethal Means Safety and Suicide Prevention training course at least once a year to ensure it is culturally appropriate and uses best practices identified by subject matter experts (e.g., veterans service organizations). The bill requires certain VA employees and care providers to take the most recently updated version of the training course within 90 days after the person is hired, agrees to furnish care, or receives support and at least annually thereafter. Specifically, the bill requires the following categories of VA employees or care providers to take the training course: employees of the Veterans Health Administration or Veterans Benefits Administration who regularly interact with veterans, compensation and pension examiners, employees of Veterans Centers or vocational rehabilitation facilities, employees of Veterans Community Care Providers who provide care to veterans, and family caregivers receiving support under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. The VA must publish the training course on a publicly available VA website. Additionally, the VA must publish a report on its website that includes the percentage of individuals in each category who have completed such training.
Palomares Veterans Act of 2021 This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of radioactive materials at Palomares, Spain, as radiation-exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
SFC Heath Robinson Burn Pit Transparency Act This bill implements reporting requirements and policies related to the treatment and documentation of veterans who have been exposed to open burn pits. A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment. First, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit quarterly reports on veterans' burn pit exposure The bill also requires the VA to collaborate with the Department of Defense to submit an annual report detailing specified information about veterans who have been exposed to open burn pits, such as the number of claims for disability compensation approved and denied (including the rationale for denials). The bill authorizes the survivor of a deceased veteran to report a veteran's exposure to toxic substances from an open burn pit in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, even if the veteran was not included prior to their death. VA medical professionals must inform veterans of the registry if they present at a medical facility for treatment related to exposure to toxic chemicals by open burn pits. Finally, the Government Accountability Office must report on the effectiveness of any memorandum of understanding entered into by the VA with respect to the processing of reported cases of burn pit exposure and the coordination of care and provision of health care related to such cases at VA and non-VA facilities.
Dispose Unused Medications and Prescription Opioids Act or the DUMP Opioids Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that each VA medical facility with an on-site pharmacy or a physical location dedicated for law enforcement purposes has a physical location where any individual may dispose of controlled substances medications.
Veterans Agent Orange Exposure Equity Act This bill expands the presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents for veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. Specifically, the bill expands the presumption to cover veterans who served in Thailand at a U.S. Army base or Royal Thai Air Force base between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975; at the Royal Thai Army Replacement Training Center, Pranburi Military Reservation between January 1, 1964, and April 30, 1964; in Laos between December 1, 1965, and September 30, 1969; or in Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kompon Cham Province between April 16, 1969, and April 30, 1969.
Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021 This bill 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; Somalia and 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, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, 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.
Reducing Barriers for Military Voters Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a plan for providing end-to-end electronic voting services (e.g., services for registering to vote and returning a ballot) in participating states for absent uniformed service members who are deployed or mobilized in locations with limited or no postal service. Specifically, DOD must develop the plan by consulting with state and local election officials. Further, the plan must include (1) methods to ensure that voters have the opportunity to verify that their ballots are received and tabulated, (2) methods to generate a verifiable and auditable vote trail, and (3) an assessment of whether commercially available technologies may be used to carry out the plan. DOD must implement the plan for a trial group of voters in participating states for the 2024 federal elections. The plan must be implemented for all voters in participating states for the 2026 federal elections and subsequent years.
Pipeline Security Act This bill revises the duties of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to include securing pipelines and pipeline facilities against cybersecurity threats, acts of terrorism, and other acts that jeopardize the physical security or cybersecurity of the pipelines or facilities. Specifically, the bill (1) establishes a pipeline security section within the TSA, (2) directs the TSA to develop a personnel strategy for enhancing operations within such section, and (3) requires the TSA to publish updated pipeline security guidelines. The TSA must also convene not less than two industry days to engage with relevant pipeline transportation and pipeline facilities stakeholders on matters related to the security of pipeline transportation and pipeline facilities.
Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act This bill reauthorizes through September 30, 2034, activities to restore Lake Tahoe and its surrounding basin. Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake on the border of California and Nevada.
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day. (A journeyman lineworker is a person who builds and maintains electrical power systems.)
This bill repeals the joint resolution of March 9, 1957, that provided for the use of certain funds to promote peace and stability in the Middle East.
