Sec. 83.008. ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

(a) The department and the health science centers and other medical facilities of The University of Texas System shall institute a cooperative program to:

(1) refer veterans to appropriate state and federal agencies to file claims to remedy medical and financial problems caused by the veterans' exposure to chemical defoliants or herbicides or other causative agents, including Agent Orange;

(2) provide veterans with cytogenetic, sperm, immunological, neurological, progeny birth defect, and other appropriate clinical or laboratory evaluations to determine if the veteran has suffered physical damage as a result of substantial exposure to chemical defoliants or herbicides or other causative agents, including Agent Orange;

(3) provide veterans with genetic counseling; and

(4) refer a veteran's child for further evaluation and treatment if the child has a birth defect and the suspected cause of the birth defect is the veteran's exposure to a chemical defoliant or herbicide or other causative agent, including Agent Orange.

(b) The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to administer the program authorized by this section.

Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.