IB 
Union Calendar No. 39 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1538 
[Report No. 110–68, Part I] 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the management of 
medical care, personnel actions, and quality of life issues for members 
of the Armed Forces who are receiving medical care in an outpatient 
status, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 15, 2007 
Mr. SKELTON (for himself, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. SNYDER, Mr. MCHUGH, and 
Mr. FILNER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
MARCH 23, 2007 
Reported from the Committee on Armed Services with an amendment 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
MARCH 23, 2007 
Additional sponsors: Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas, Mr. REYES, Mr. JOHNSON of 
Georgia, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. 
MCINTYRE, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. ROGERS of 
Alabama, Mr. SAXTON, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS 
of Virginia, Mr. HAYES, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. GRAVES, Mr. BILBRAY, Ms. 
BERKLEY, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. GINGREY, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. AKIN, Mr. 
PORTER, and Ms. HARMAN 
MARCH 23, 2007 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs discharged; committed to the Committee of 
the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
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[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 15, 2007] 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the 
management of medical care, personnel actions, and 
quality of life issues for members of the Armed Forces 
who are receiving medical care in an outpatient status, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of this 
Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
TITLE I—WOUNDED WARRIOR ASSISTANCE 
Sec. 101. Improvements to medical and dental care for members of the Armed 
Forces assigned to hospitals in an outpatient status. 
Sec. 102. Establishment of toll-free hot line for reporting deficiencies in medical- 
related support facilities and expedited response to reports of de-
ficiencies. 
Sec. 103. Notification to Congress of hospitalization of combat wounded service 
members. 
Sec. 104. Independent medical advocate for members before medical evaluation 
boards. 
Sec. 105. Training and workload for physical evaluation board liaison officers. 
Sec. 106. Standardized training program and curriculum for Department of De-
fense disability evaluation system. 
Sec. 107. Improved training for health care professionals, medical care case man-
agers, and service member advocates on particular conditions of 
recovering service members. 
Sec. 108. Pilot program to establish an Army Wounded Warrior Battalion at an 
appropriate active duty base. 
Sec. 109. Criteria for removal of member from temporary disability retired list. 
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Sec. 110. Improved transition of members of the Armed Forces to Department of 
Veterans Affairs upon retirement or separation. 
Sec. 111. Establishment of Medical Support Fund for support of members of the 
Armed Forces returning to military service or civilian life. 
Sec. 112. Oversight Board for Wounded Warriors. 
TITLE II—STUDIES AND REPORTS 
Sec. 201. Annual report on military medical facilities. 
Sec. 202. Access of recovering service members to adequate outpatient residential 
facilities. 
Sec. 203. Evaluation and report on Department of Defense and Department of 
Veterans Affairs disability evaluation systems. 
Sec. 204. Study and report on support services for families of recovering service 
members. 
Sec. 205. Report on traumatic brain injury classifications. 
Sec. 206. Evaluation of the Polytrauma Liaison Officer/Non-Commissioned Offi-
cer Program. 
TITLE III—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Sec. 301. Moratorium on conversion to contractor performance of Department of 
Defense functions at military medical facilities. 
Sec. 302. Prohibition on transfer of resources from medical care. 
Sec. 303. Increase in physicians at hospitals of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CONGRESSIONAL
DEFENSE
COMMITTEES.— 
The term ‘‘congressional defense committees’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) of title 
10, United States Code. 
(2) DISABILITY EVALUATION SYSTEM.—The term 
‘‘disability evaluation system’’ means the Department 
of Defense system or process for evaluating the nature 
of and extent of disabilities affecting members of the 
armed forces (other than the Coast Guard) and com-
prised of medical evaluation boards, physical evalua-
tion boards, counseling of members, and final disposi-
tion by appropriate personnel authorities, as operated 
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by the Secretaries of the military departments, and, 
in the case of the Coast Guard, a similar system or 
process operated by the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity. 
(3) FAMILY MEMBER.—The term ‘‘family mem-
ber’’, with respect to a recovering service member, has 
the meaning given that term in section 411h(b) of 
title 37, United States Code. 
(4) RECOVERING SERVICE MEMBER.—The term 
‘‘recovering service member’’ means a member of the 
Armed Forces, including a member of the National 
Guard or a Reserve, who is undergoing medical treat-
ment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise in 
medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, 
or disease incurred or aggravated while on active 
duty in the Armed Forces. 
TITLE I—WOUNDED WARRIOR 
ASSISTANCE 
SEC. 101. IMPROVEMENTS TO MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE 
FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AS-
SIGNED TO HOSPITALS IN AN OUTPATIENT 
STATUS. 
(a) MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE OF MEMBERS AS-
SIGNED TO HOSPITALS IN AN OUTPATIENT STATUS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 55 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
1074k the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1074l. Management of medical and dental care: 
members assigned to receive care in an 
outpatient status 
‘‘(a) MEDICAL CARE CASE MANAGERS.—(1) A member 
in an outpatient status at a military medical treatment 
facility shall be assigned a medical care case manager. 
‘‘(2)(A) The duties of the medical care case manager 
shall include the following with respect to the member (or 
the member’s immediate family if the member is incapable 
of making judgments about personal medical care): 
‘‘(i) To assist in understanding the member’s 
medical status. 
‘‘(ii) To assist in receiving prescribed medical 
care. 
‘‘(iii) To conduct a review, at least once a week, 
of the member’s medical status. 
‘‘(B) The weekly medical status review described in 
subparagraph (A)(iii) shall be conducted in person with the 
member. If such a review is not practicable, the medical 
care case manager shall provide a written statement to the 
case manager’s supervisor indicating why an in-person 
medical status review was not possible. 
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