Vieques Recovery and Redevelopment Act

• Residents and claimants: People who lived in Vieques at least five years would be eligible for payments if medical records link certain chronic diseases to military readiness activities. Awards would be scheduled at $50,000 for one disease, $80,000 for two, and $110,000 for three or more, with heirs and death adjustments and attorney fees capped at 20 percent.

• Health care and community services: The bill would fund construction and operation of a level three trauma center with cancer care and renal dialysis. It would also pay for interim urgent transport, telemedicine, screening programs for cancer, cirrhosis, diabetes, and heavy metals, and fund environmental studies and remediation with an academic partner.

• Claims process and timelines: An Attorney General appointed Special Master would manage claims, treat certain prior disposed claims as filed, and decide claims within 150 days. The bill would allow additional awards over a 10 year window and limits filing to 15 years.

*It would authorize up to $1.0 billion from the Judgment Fund for settlements and health and environmental projects, increasing federal outlays by up to $1.0 billion.*