Section 399 Of Chapter 7. Privileges And Penalties From California Military And Veterans Code >> Division 2. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 7.
399
. (a) (1) The Secretary of the California Department of Veterans
Affairs, or his or her designees, shall assist any eligible member
or veteran who returns or has returned to this state in obtaining a
best practice health screening test for exposure to depleted uranium.
The screening should consist of a bioassay procedure capable of
detecting depleted uranium at low levels and discriminating between
different uranium isotopes. State funds shall not be used to pay for
the tests or any other federal treatment services.
(2) The eligible member or veteran must return or have returned to
this state after service in an area where depleted uranium was used
or that was designated as a combat zone by the President of the
United States after 1990. The eligible member or veteran shall either
be assigned a risk level I, II, or III for depleted uranium exposure
by his or her branch of service, be referred by a military
physician, or have reason to believe that he or she was exposed to
depleted uranium during his or her service.
(b) (1) In order to effectively provide the assistance required by
subdivision (a), the Secretary of the California Department of
Veterans Affairs, or his or her designees, shall develop and
implement a plan for outreach to eligible members and veterans who
have returned from combat areas where depleted uranium was used.
(2) The outreach plan shall provide information to eligible
members and veterans concerning their potential exposure to depleted
uranium, the possible hazards associated with exposure, and the right
to federal depleted uranium screening services.
(c) For purposes of this section, all of the following apply:
(1) "Eligible member" means a member who served in the Persian
Gulf War, as defined in Section 101 of Title 38 of the United States
Code, in an area designated as a combat zone by the President of
United States during Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi
Freedom, or in any other combat theater where depleted uranium was
used.
(2) "Member" or "member of the Armed Forces" means a member of the
Armed Forces of the United States, including the California National
Guard, who is a resident of this state.
(3) "Military physician" means a provider who is under contract
with the United States Department of Defense to provide physician
services to members of the Armed Forces.