{"format":1,"id":"118-s-112","congress":118,"number":"S. 112","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to strengthen benefits for children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida, and for other purposes.","title_source":"Display Title","official_title":"A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to strengthen benefits for children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to strengthen benefits for children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Display Title","title":"A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to strengthen benefits for children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida, and for other purposes."}],"outcome":"became_law","law_number":"Public Law 118-18","introduced":"2023-01-26","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2023-09-19","vote":{"id":"118-2023-h399","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass","title":"To amend title 38, United States Code, to strengthen benefits for children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida, and for other purposes","result":"Passed","yea":422,"nay":0,"present":0,"not_voting":11,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2023/roll399.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"voice","date":"2023-07-13","vote":null,"how":"unanimous_consent","words":"Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S2963; text: CR S2963-2964)"}},"president":{"status":"signed","date":"2023-10-06"},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Became Public Law No: 118-18.","date":"2023-10-06"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2023-10-06","stage":"Public Law","blocks":[{"k":"p","t":"This act addresses Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and care for certain children with spina bifida or other birth defects. The act requires the VA to provide health care, job training, and monetary benefits for the duration of the child's life. The act covers a child, regardless of age or marital status, who (1) has spina bifida and is the natural child of a Vietnam veteran or a veteran of specified service in Korea or Thailand who was conceived after the date on which the veteran entered service in Vietnam, Korea, or Thailand; or (2) has certain birth defects and is the natural child of a woman Vietnam veteran."},{"k":"p","t":"The act requires the VA to establish an advisory council on health care and benefits for covered children. Additionally, the VA must establish care and coordination teams for covered children. At least every 180 days, the teams must conduct outreach to ensure the continued care of the children and assist with any necessary changes in care."},{"k":"p","t":"The VA must report to Congress a list of conditions that will trigger outreach to covered children and must attempt to contact such children as soon as practicable after the identification of a condition."},{"k":"p","t":"The Veterans Benefits Administration and the Veterans Health Administration must enter into a memorandum of understanding to better assist covered children."}],"words":221},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an advisory council and care and coordination teams for children eligible for health care and benefits under chapter 18, to provide those children health care and benefits for life, and to report on the program.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr#id39a9abbc-f19d-4d62-98a2-4366b8b1bff2:~:text=1.%20Benefits%20for%20certain%20children%20of%20Vietnam"}]},"core_areas":["Lifetime health care and benefits for children eligible under chapter 18 of title 38","Advisory council and care and coordination teams for covered children","Reports to Congress and an agreement between VA's benefits and health administrations"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Requires the Secretary to provide a covered child with health care and benefits under chapter 18 for the duration of the child's life, including when a parent dies before the child.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr#id39a9abbc-f19d-4d62-98a2-4366b8b1bff2:~:text=1.%20Benefits%20for%20certain%20children%20of%20Vietnam"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary to establish, within 270 days of enactment, an advisory council composed of Federal employees that solicits feedback from covered children and covered veterans and communicates it to the Secretary.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr#id39a9abbc-f19d-4d62-98a2-4366b8b1bff2:~:text=1.%20Benefits%20for%20certain%20children%20of%20Vietnam"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary to establish care and coordination teams within one year of enactment, which must attempt to contact each covered child at least once every 180 days to ensure continued care and assist with changes in care.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr#id39a9abbc-f19d-4d62-98a2-4366b8b1bff2:~:text=1.%20Benefits%20for%20certain%20children%20of%20Vietnam"}},{"text":"Requires the teams to attempt contact with a covered child as soon as practicable after a listed condition is identified, and requires a report to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans' Affairs listing those conditions within 180 days of enactment.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr#id39a9abbc-f19d-4d62-98a2-4366b8b1bff2:~:text=1.%20Benefits%20for%20certain%20children%20of%20Vietnam"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary to report to Congress at least every two years on the number of covered children receiving care or benefits, the number for whom a social worker is paid for or provided, and metrics on outreach.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr#id39a9abbc-f19d-4d62-98a2-4366b8b1bff2:~:text=1.%20Benefits%20for%20certain%20children%20of%20Vietnam"}},{"text":"Requires the Under Secretary for Benefits and the Under Secretary for Health to enter into a memorandum of understanding within 90 days of enactment to better assist covered children and to establish the conditions for the report.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr#id39a9abbc-f19d-4d62-98a2-4366b8b1bff2:~:text=1.%20Benefits%20for%20certain%20children%20of%20Vietnam"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"rule":"enrolled","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text/enr"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-02","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/112/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/118-s-112.png","v":"946b3b5ba435","alt":"Votes on Record. S. 112, 118th Congress: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to strengthen benefits for children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida, and for other purposes. House: 422 Yea, 0 Nay. Senate: unanimous consent. Outcome: Became law, 6 Oct 2023."}}