§996 Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record

Summary

The Secretary of Defense must keep a central web portal called the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record. It collects service records, any available data on how, where, and when service members were exposed to workplace or environmental hazards, and related medical records (like diagnoses, treatment plans, and lab results). If exposure data exists for a service member, that data must also be put into that member’s service record. The Secretary must let the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Director of the Defense Health Agency (for DOD health staff and researchers), the VA Under Secretary for Health (for VA health staff and researchers), and the VA Under Secretary for Benefits (for staff handling compensation and benefits) access the portal. Each year the Secretary of Defense must brief four congressional committees—the Senate Committee on Armed Services, the House Committee on Armed Services, the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs—explaining the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record and how classified exposure data will be included.