H.R. 3052 — Agent Orange Relief Act of 2025

This section sets forth 14 congressional findings on the U.S. military's spraying of approximately 19 million gallons of herbicides, including 13 million gallons of Agent Orange, over 1.7 million hectares in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1961 to 1971; exposures affecting 2.1 million to 4.8 million Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, and American individuals; associated diseases in U.S. veterans (e.g., 19 conditions recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs such as prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease); birth defects in children of U.S. women veterans (e.g., spina bifida recognized only for children of male veterans); lack of similar recognition or assistance for Vietnamese, Vietnamese Americans, Lao, and Cambodians; and emerging evidence of transgenerational effects. The section states the purpose of the Act to address and remediate the ongoing damage from Agent Orange.

This section expands eligibility under subchapter II of chapter 18 of title 38, U.S. Code—providing health care and other benefits to children of women Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida or other covered birth defects (previously limited to maternal exposure effects)—to include children of male Vietnam veterans by striking references to "woman Vietnam veteran" and "women Vietnam veterans" and inserting "Vietnam veteran" and "Vietnam veterans," respectively, and by updating the subchapter heading to "Children of Vietnam Veterans Born with Certain Birth Defects." It further requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to mandate that contracted health care providers grant the department access to beneficiaries' medical records for research on intergenerational effects of Agent Orange exposure, defined to include any chemical compound in herbicide agents used during U.S. and allied operations in Vietnam. The amendments take effect 30 days after enactment.

This section directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with other federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations, to (1) identify and provide assistance for research on health issues of individuals affected by Agent Orange, incorporating focus areas recommended in the United States Institute of Medicine's biennial *Veterans and Agent Orange* Update and involving schools of public health and medicine in the United States, Vietnam, and other interested countries; and (2) conduct a survey of children of Agent Orange-exposed veterans who have received health care under the program for children of Vietnam veterans born with certain birth defects (38 U.S.C. ch. 18, subch. II) to assess adequacy of treatment for their medical conditions and disabilities and to recommend actions addressing any deficiencies.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public health organizations and Vietnamese American organizations to conduct a health assessment of Vietnamese Americans potentially exposed to Agent Orange and their children or descendants. The section also requires the Secretary to establish centers in U.S. locations with large Vietnamese American populations to provide assessment, counseling, and treatment for Agent Orange-related conditions, which may be carried out through community or nongovernmental organizations.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to complete a plan for implementing applicable provisions of the Act—including issuing a request for proposals, if applicable—not later than 180 days after enactment, and to fully implement those provisions not later than 18 months after enactment.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit quarterly reports to Congress on their implementation of this Act's provisions applicable to each secretary, with the first report due not later than 30 days after the end of the fiscal quarter beginning on or after 18 months after enactment.

This section defines the term "Agent Orange," for purposes of this Act, to include any chemical compound that became part of an herbicide agent used in support of U.S. and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam, either by design or through impurities.