Bill > HR5026

This bill, the Panama Canal Zone Veterans Act of 2021, would amend title 38 of the United States Code to establish a presumption of service connection for certain illnesses associated with service in the Armed Forces in the Panama Canal Zone during a specified "covered period" from January 1, 1958 to the date the last member of the Armed Forces departed the Panama Canal Zone. The bill lists specific conditions, such as various cancers and diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes, that would be presumed to be connected to service in the Panama Canal Zone if the veteran was exposed to an herbicide agent known or presumed to be associated with that service. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs would also be required to prescribe regulations identifying any additional illnesses warranting a presumption of service connection based on positive association with herbicide agent exposure in the Panama Canal Zone.

Health and Social Services, Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5026/all-info