PUBLIC LAW 105-368 —NOV. 11, 1998 112 STAT. 3317 Sec. 902. Extension of authority to counsel and treat veterans for sexual trauma. Sec. 903. Management of specialized treatment and rehabilitative programs. Sec. 904. Authority to use for operating expenses of Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities amounts available by reason of the limitation on pension for veterans receiving nursing home care. Sec. 905. Report on nurse locality pay. Sec. 906. Annual report on program and expenditures of Department of Veterans Affairs for domestic response to weapons of mass destruction. Sec. 907. Interim appointment of Under Secretary for Health. TITLE X—OTHER MATTERS Sec. 1001. Requirement for naming of Department property. Sec. 1002. Members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Sec. 1003. Flexibility in docketing and hearing of appeals by Board of Veterans' Appeals. Sec. 1004. Disabled veterans outreach program specialists. Sec. 1005. Technical amendments. TITLE XI—COMPENSATION COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT Sec. 1101. Increase in rates of disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation. Sec. 1102. Publication of adjusted rates. SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE. Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of title 38, United States Code. TITLE I—PROVISIONS RELATING TO VETERANS OF PERSIAN GULF WAR AND FUTURE CONFLICTS SEC. 101. AGREEMENT WITH NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 38 USC 1117 REGARDING EVALUATION OF HEALTH CONSEQUENCES note. OF SERVICE IN SOUTHWEST ASIA DURING THE PERSIAN GULF WAR. (a) PURPOSE. — The purpose of this section is to provide for the National Academy of Sciences, an independent nonprofit scientific organization with appropriate expertise which is not a part of the Federal Government, to review and evaluate the available scientific evidence regarding associations between illness and service in the Persian Gulf War. (b) AGREEMENT. —(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences for the Academy to perform the activities covered by this section. The Secretary shall seek to enter into the agreement not later than 2 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. (2)(A) If the Secretary is unable within the time period set forth in paragraph (1) to enter into an agreement with the Academy for the purposes of this section on terms acceptable to the Secretary, the Secretary shall seek to enter into an agreement for purposes of this section with another appropriate scientific organization that is not part of the Federal Government, operates as a not-for-profit entity, and has expertise and objectivity comparable to that of the Academy. (B) If the Secretary enters into an agreement with another organization under this paragraph, any reference in this section ^
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