July 1985 The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) issued its report entitled An Evaluation of the Feasibility of Studying Long-Term Health Effects in Atomic Veterans. concluded that global studies concerning the health of OTA nuclear test participants are not feasible. It suggested, however, that the SMOKY cohort previously studied by the CDC/NRC be researched at 5-year intervals and that a mortality study be conducted of the participants in Operation CROSSROADS. August 1985 VA published its final rules on adjudicating claims as required by Public Law 98-542. October 1985 DNA published its final rules on responding to VA claims as required by Public Law 98-542. 8 November 1985 The General Accounting Office (GAO) published its report Operation CROSSROADS: Personnel Radiation Exposure Estimates Should Be Improved. Regarding the CROSSROADS participants, GAO claimed that (1) allowances had not been made for film badge inaccuracies, (2) personnel decontamination procedures were inadequate, and (3) DNA did not adequately evaluate internal radiation exposure. 3 December 1985 President Reagan signed Public Law 99-166, "Veterans Administration Health-Care Amendments of 1985." This law extended certain portions of Public Law 97-72, which provided health care benefits for eligible veterans. 11 December 1985 DNA representatives testified at a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. They commented on issues pertaining to the possible radiation exposures received by participants in Operation CROSSROADS, conducted in 1946 at Bikini as the first postwar nuclear test series. 7 February 1986 NAS made public its report entitled Review of the Methods Used to Assign Radiation Doses to Service Personnel at Nuclear Weapons Tests. This report reviewed the entire dose reconstruction effort and judged the methodology and processes to have sound scientific merit: "Although the committee concentrated only on methods, it found no evidence that the NTPR teams had been remiss in carrying out their mandate. If any bias exists in the estimates, it is the tendency to overestimate the most likely dose." AD) 202