(a) The department, in consultation and cooperation with a board certified medical toxicologist, shall compile and evaluate information submitted under this chapter into a report to be distributed annually to members of the General Assembly and to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. The report shall contain current research findings on the effects of exposure to chemical defoliants or herbicides or other causative agents, including Agent Orange, and statistical information compiled from reports submitted by physicians or hospitals.

(b) The department, in consultation and cooperation with a board certified medical toxicologist, shall conduct epidemiological studies on veterans who have cancer or other medical problems associated with exposure to a chemical defoliant or herbicide or any other causative agent, including Agent Orange, or who have children born with birth defects after the veterans' suspected exposure to a chemical defoliant or herbicide or any other causative agent, including Agent Orange. The department must obtain consent from each veteran to be studied under this subsection. The department shall compile and evaluate information obtained from these studies into a report to be distributed as provided by subsection (a) of this Code section.