(I) Inclusion in Polytrauma Center meet-
ings. 
(J) Completion of required administrative 
reporting. 
(K) Ability to provide necessary adminis-
trative support to all members of the Armed 
Forces. 
(2) Manpower requirements to effectively carry 
out all required functions of the Polytrauma Liaison 
Officer/Non-Commissioned Officer program given 
current and expected case loads. 
(3) Expansion of the program to incorporate 
Navy and Marine Corps officers and senior enlisted 
personnel. 
(c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report con-
taining—
(1) the results of the evaluation; and 
(2) recommendations for any improvements in 
the program.
SEC. 207. STUDY AND REPORT ON WAITING PERIODS FOR 
APPOINTMENTS AT DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FACILITIES. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall conduct a study on the average length of time 
between the desired date for which a veteran seeks to 
schedule an appointment for health care at a Department 
of Veterans Affairs medical facility and the date on which 
such appointment is completed. 
(b) FOCUS
OF STUDY.—In conducting the study 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall focus on appoint-
ments scheduled and completed at Department medical fa-
cilities located in both rural and urban areas. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
a report to Congress containing the findings of the study 
under subsection (a) and recommendations for decreasing 
the waiting time between the desired date of an appoint-
ment and the completion of the appointment to a max-
imum of 15 days. 
SEC. 208. STUDY AND REPORT ON STANDARD SOLDIER PA-
TIENT TRACKING SYSTEM. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall conduct a study on the feasibility of developing a 
joint soldier tracking system for recovering service mem-
bers.
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The study under sub-
section (a) shall include the following: 
(1) Review of the feasibility of allowing each re-
covering service member, each family member of 
such a member, each commander of a military in-
stallation retaining medical holdover patients, each 
patient navigator, and ombudsman office personnel, 
at all times, to be able to locate and understand ex-
actly where a recovering service member is in the 
medical holdover process. 
(2) A determination of whether the tracking 
system can be designed to ensure that—
(A) the commander of each military med-
ical facility where recovering service members 
are located is able to track appointments of 
such members to ensure they are meeting time-
liness and other standards that serve the mem-
ber; and 
(B) each recovering service member is able 
to know when his appointments and other med-
ical evaluation board or physical evaluation 
board deadlines will be and that they have been 
scheduled in a timely and accurate manner.
(3) Any other information needed to conduct 
oversight of care of the member through out the 
medical holdover process. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the 
results of the study, with such findings and recommenda-
tions as the Secretary considers appropriate. 
TITLE III—GENERAL 
PROVISIONS 
SEC. 301. MORATORIUM ON CONVERSION TO CONTRACTOR 
PERFORMANCE OF DEPARTMENT OF DE-
FENSE FUNCTIONS AT MILITARY MEDICAL 
FACILITIES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The conduct of public-private competitions 
for the performance of Department of Defense func-
tions, based on Office of Management and Budget 
Circular A–76, can lead to dramatic reductions in 
the workforce, undermining an agency’s ability to 
perform its mission. 
(2) The Army Garrison commander at the Wal-
ter Reed Army Medical Center has stated that the 
extended A–76 competition process contributed to
the departure of highly skilled administrative and 
maintenance personnel, which led to the problems at 
the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 
(b) MORATORIUM.—During the one-year period be-
ginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, no study 
or competition may be begun or announced pursuant to 
section 2461 of title 10, United States Code, or otherwise 
pursuant to Office of Management and Budget Circular 
A–76 relating to the possible conversion to performance 
by a contractor of any Department of Defense function 
carried out at a military medical facility . 
(c) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services 
of the House of Representatives a report on the public-
private competitions being conducted for Department of 
Defense functions carried out at military medical facilities 
as of the date of the enactment of this Act by each military 
department and defense agency. Such report shall in-
clude—
(1) for each such competition—
(A) the cost of conducting the public-pri-
vate competition;
(B) the number of military personnel and 
civilian employees of the Department of De-
fense affected; 
(C) the estimated savings identified and 
the savings actually achieved; 
(D) an evaluation whether the anticipated 
and budgeted savings can be achieved through 
a public-private competition; and 
(E) the effect of converting the perform-
ance of the function to performance by a con-
tractor on the quality of the performance of the 
function; 
(2) a description of any public-private competi-
tion the Secretary would conduct if the moratorium 
under subsection (b) were not in effect; and 
(3) an assessment of whether any method of 
business reform or reengineering other than a pub-
lic-private competition could, if implemented in the 
future, achieve any anticipated or budgeted savings. 
SEC. 302. PROHIBITION ON TRANSFER OF RESOURCES 
FROM MEDICAL CARE. 
Neither the Secretary of Defense nor the Secretaries 
of the military departments may transfer funds or per-
sonnel from medical care functions to administrative func-
tions within the Department of Defense in order to comply
with the new administrative requirements imposed by this 
Act or the amendments made by this Act. 
SEC. 303. INCREASE IN PHYSICIANS AT HOSPITALS OF THE 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase the 
number of resident physicians at hospitals of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. 
SEC. 304. VETERANS BENEFICIARY TRAVEL PROGRAM. 
(a) ELIMINATION OF DEDUCTIBLE.—Subsection (c) 
of section 111 of title 38, United States Code, is repealed. 
(b) DETERMINATION OF MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT 
RATE.—
(1) DETERMINATION.—Paragraph (1) of sub-
section (g) of such section is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(1) In determining the amount of allowances or re-
imbursement to be paid under this section, the Secretary 
shall use the mileage reimbursement rates for the use of 
privately owned vehicles by Government employees on offi-
cial business, as prescribed by the Administrator of Gen-
eral Services under section 5707(b) of title 5, United 
States Code.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (g) 
of such section is further amended by striking para-
graphs (3) and (4).
(c) SOURCE
OF FUNDS.—Such section is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(i) Funds for payments made under this section 
shall be appropriated separately from other amounts ap-
propriated for the Department.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this Act shall apply with respect to travel expenses in-
curred after the expiration of the 90-day period that be-
gins on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives March 28, 
2007. 
Attest:
Clerk.
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 1538
AN ACT 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve 
the management of medical care, personnel ac-
tions, and quality of life issues for members of 
the Armed Forces who are receiving medical care 
in an outpatient status, and for other purposes.