H.R. 5915: K2 Veterans Total Coverage Act of 2025
Sponsor
Stephen Lynch
Democrat · MA-8
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Nov 4, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
K2 veterans wouldn't have to prove their illness came from service
Why it matters
Fifteen broad categories of disease — any cancer, any lung disease, any heart disease, any kidney disease — would be presumed connected to military service for veterans who deployed to Karshi Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan. That flips the burden of proof: instead of you proving your toxic exposure caused your illness, the VA would start from the assumption that it did.
The bill does one thing, and it's narrow by geography but wide by medicine. It applies only to veterans who served at Karshi Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan, known as K2.
For that group, it creates what's called a presumption of service connection across 15 disease categories. In plain terms, a presumption means the VA assumes your illness is tied to your service instead of making you prove it from scratch — the same legal shortcut that already exists for Agent Orange and burn-pit exposure.
The list is sweeping. Twelve of the categories use the word "any": any cancer, any thyroid disease, any bone disease, any heart disease, any skin disease, any neurological disease, any reproductive disease, any lung disease, any endocrine disease, any liver disease, any kidney disease, and any blood disorder. The rest covers primary immune regulatory disorders, medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness, and cataracts.
These conditions are added on top of the presumptions K2 veterans may already qualify for — nothing currently covered gets taken away. There are no dollar amounts, deadlines, or income limits in the bill. It changes who qualifies, not how much anyone gets paid.
H.R. 5915 Bill Summary
What H.R. 5915 actually does.
The VA assumes your illness is service-connected
For veterans who served at K2, the bill establishes a presumption of service connection. That means the VA starts from the assumption that a listed illness is tied to your service, rather than requiring you to prove the medical link yourself — the heart of what the bill changes.
Fifteen disease categories are covered
The covered list spans any cancer, any thyroid disease, any bone disease, any cardiovascular disease, any skin disease, any neurological disease, any reproductive disease, any respiratory disease, any endocrine disease, any liver disease, any kidney disease, any blood disorder, primary immune regulatory disorders, medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness, and cataracts.
Only K2 veterans qualify
The new rule is tied to one location: Karshi Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan. It does not extend to all veterans or all overseas deployments. Service at K2 is the eligibility key.
Broad 'any disease' language
For 12 of the 15 categories, the bill uses the word 'any' — any cancer, any heart disease, any kidney disease, and so on. That sweeps in entire disease families rather than a short, named list of specific diagnoses.
Adds to existing coverage, removes nothing
The bill states the new K2 diseases are covered 'in addition to' conditions already recognized under current veterans law. K2 veterans keep whatever presumptions they already have and gain these 15 categories on top.
Who benefits from H.R. 5915?
Veterans who served at K2
They're the only group this bill covers. If they develop any of the 15 listed conditions, they could seek VA benefits under a presumption instead of building a medical case from scratch — often years or decades after deployment, when proof is hardest to assemble.
K2 veterans with cancer or organ disease
Veterans facing any cancer, any liver disease, any kidney disease, any lung disease, or any heart disease would be explicitly covered. The 'any' language pulls in the full range of these illnesses rather than a narrow diagnosis-by-diagnosis list.
Veterans with hard-to-document conditions
Primary immune regulatory disorders and medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness are notoriously difficult to tie to a single cause. Naming them outright means K2 veterans wouldn't have to clear that evidentiary hurdle alone.
Families of eligible K2 veterans
An easier path to recognition can mean faster access to disability compensation and related VA support — money and care that reach the household, not just the veteran filing the claim.
Who is affected by H.R. 5915?
The Department of Veterans Affairs
The VA would have to build the new K2 presumption into how it reviews claims, applying it across all 15 disease categories for veterans who served at that base.
K2 veterans with pending or denied claims
Veterans currently filing or appealing K2-related claims could see their cases re-evaluated under a more favorable standard if their condition falls into one of the 15 categories.
Budget scorekeepers and appropriators
The bill names no dollar figure, but broader presumptive eligibility tends to raise VA benefit and health care costs. Budget analysts would likely score that impact as the bill advances.
Advocates for toxic-exposed veterans
Groups pushing for recognition of deployment-related illness would likely treat this bill as a test of whether Congress will grant location-specific, broadly written presumptions.
HR5915 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Nov 4, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
About the Sponsor
Stephen Lynch
Democrat, Massachusetts's 8th congressional district · 25 years in Congress
Committees: Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services
View full profile →
Cosponsors (1)
This bill has 1 cosponsor: 1 Democrat. Cosponsors represent 1 state: Oregon.
Committee Sponsors
Veterans' Affairs Committee
0 of 24 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
10 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 5915 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Veterans' Affairs
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Introduced
- Nov 4, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Nov 4, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, actions, sponsors, and status for the K2 Veterans Total Coverage Act of 2025.
The bill directly amends 38 U.S.C. 1120(b) to add paragraph (15), so this preliminary U.S. Code page is the core statutory reference.
VA’s official page on K2 exposures documents the hazards (jet fuel, depleted uranium, particulate matter) behind the illnesses this bill would presume service-connected.
VA’s announcement of expanded K2 benefits and TERA recognition shows the existing presumptive framework this bill would build on.
VA’s official hub for toxic exposure and deployment-related health issues, relevant to veterans seeking recognition of exposure-related conditions.
VA guidance on PACT Act presumptive eligibility explains how presumptions of service connection work — the legal mechanism this bill extends to K2 veterans.
VA’s official center focused on deployment-related and toxic exposure health concerns, relevant to K2 veterans with chronic multisymptom or hard-to-diagnose illnesses.
Official VA benefits page explaining disability compensation, which is the main claims pathway affected by this bill’s presumptive service-connection changes.
H.R. 5915 Common Questions
What would H.R. 5915 actually do for K2 veterans?
It would let veterans who served at Karshi Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan get VA benefits for 15 disease categories without having to prove the illness was caused by their service. The VA would presume the connection instead.
Which illnesses are covered under H.R. 5915?
Fifteen categories: any cancer, thyroid, bone, heart, skin, neurological, reproductive, lung, endocrine, liver, kidney, and blood disease, plus primary immune regulatory disorders, medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness, and cataracts.
Do K2 veterans still have to prove their illness came from service?
For the 15 covered categories, no. A presumption of service connection means the VA assumes the link exists, so you don't have to build the medical case yourself — the same shortcut already used for Agent Orange and burn-pit exposure.
What is K2, and why are veterans who served there getting coverage?
Karshi Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan, called K2, was a U.S. staging base after 9/11. Veterans report toxic exposures there, and the bill targets the illnesses they've linked to that deployment.
Does H.R. 5915 apply to all veterans or only those who served at K2?
Only those who served at Karshi Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan. The bill ties the new presumption to that specific location — it doesn't create a rule for all veterans or all overseas deployments.
Does the bill replace the VA benefits K2 veterans already qualify for?
No. The bill says these 15 disease categories are covered in addition to conditions already recognized under current veterans law. Nothing already covered gets taken away.
If my K2 claim was denied before, could H.R. 5915 change that?
Potentially. If the bill becomes law and your condition falls into one of the 15 categories, your claim could be re-evaluated under the more favorable presumptive standard. Check current VA guidance for how to refile.
Where does H.R. 5915 stand right now?
It was introduced on November 4, 2025 and referred to the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, with one cosponsor so far. It has not advanced to a vote.
Based on H.R. 5915 bill text
H.R. 5915 Bill Text
“To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish additional presumptions of service connection for certain diseases that occur in veterans who suffered toxic exposure while serving at Karshi Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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