Care of Veterans With Service in Uzbekistan
Department of Defense Must Study Toxic Exposure at Uzbekistan Air Base
What it does
The Department of Defense must complete a 365-day study of toxic exposures at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base and report findings through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Real-world impact
- Requires consideration of combat-theater designation for veterans who served in Uzbekistan.
- Orders a 365-day Defense study of toxic exposures at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base.
- Directs Defense to report study findings to the President through Veterans Affairs.
Topics
Summary
This order tells the Department of Veterans Affairs to consider whether people who served on active duty in Uzbekistan from October 1, 2001 to December 31, 2005, should be treated as having served in a combat theater. It also requires the Department of Defense to finish, within 365 days, a rigorous study of toxic exposures at the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base and to report the findings to the President through Veterans Affairs.
The study must identify contaminants, assess health effects, and evaluate any causal links between exposure and illnesses.
Questions, answered
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