H. R. 1585—468 
SEC. 1647. ASSESSMENTS OF CONTINUING UTILITY AND FUTURE ROLE 
OF TEMPORARY DISABILITY RETIRED LIST. 
(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
to the congressional defense committees a report containing— 
(1) a statistical history since January 1, 2000, of the num-
bers of members of the Armed Forces who are returned to 
duty or separated following a tenure on the temporary disability 
retired list and, in the case of members who were separated, 
how many of the members were granted disability separation 
or retirement and what were their disability ratings; 
(2) the results of the assessments required by subsection 
(b); and 
(3) such recommendations for the modification or improve-
ment of the temporary disability retired list as the Secretary 
considers appropriate in response to the assessments. 
(b) REQUIRED ASSESSMENTS.—The assessments required to be 
conducted as part of the report under subsection (a) are the fol-
lowing: 
(1) An assessment of the continuing utility of the temporary 
disability retired list in satisfying the purposes for which the 
temporary disability retired list was established. 
(2) An assessment of the need to require that the condition 
of a member be permanent and stable before the member 
is separated with less than a 30 percent disability rating prior 
to exceeding the maximum tenure allowed on the temporary 
disability retired list. 
(3) An assessment of the future role of the temporary 
disability retired list in the Disability Evaluation System of 
the Department of Defense and the changes in policy and 
law required to fulfill the future role of the temporary disability 
retire list. 
SEC. 1648. STANDARDS FOR MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILI-
TIES, SPECIALTY MEDICAL CARE FACILITIES, AND MILI-
TARY QUARTERS HOUSING PATIENTS AND ANNUAL 
REPORT ON SUCH FACILITIES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall establish for the military facilities of the Department of 
Defense and the military departments referred to in subsection 
(b) standards with respect to the matters set forth in subsection 
(c). To the maximum extent practicable, the standards shall— 
(1) be uniform and consistent for all such facilities; and 
(2) be uniform and consistent throughout the Department 
of Defense and the military departments. 
(b) COVERED MILITARY FACILITIES.—The military facilities cov-
ered by this section are the following: 
(1) Military medical treatment facilities. 
(2) Specialty medical care facilities. 
(3) Military quarters or leased housing for patients. 
(c) SCOPE
OF STANDARDS.—The standards required by sub-
section (a) shall include the following: 
(1) Generally accepted standards for the accreditation of 
medical facilities, or for facilities used to quarter individuals 
that may require medical supervision, as applicable, in the 
United States.
H. R. 1585—469 
(2) To the extent not inconsistent with the standards 
described in paragraph (1), minimally acceptable conditions 
for the following: 
(A) Appearance and maintenance of facilities generally, 
including the structure and roofs of facilities. 
(B) Size, appearance, and maintenance of rooms 
housing or utilized by patients, including furniture and 
amenities in such rooms. 
(C) Operation and maintenance of primary and back- 
up facility utility systems and other systems required for 
patient care, including electrical systems, plumbing sys-
tems, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, 
communications systems, fire protection systems, energy 
management systems, and other systems required for 
patient care. 
(D) Compliance of facilities, rooms, and grounds, to 
the maximum extent practicable, with the Americans with 
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). 
(E) Such other matters relating to the appearance, 
size, operation, and maintenance of facilities and rooms 
as the Secretary considers appropriate. 
(d) COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS.— 
(1) DEADLINE.—In establishing standards under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall specify a deadline for compliance with 
such standards by each facility referred to in subsection (b). 
The deadline shall be at the earliest date practicable after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable, be uniform across the facilities 
referred to in subsection (b). 
(2) INVESTMENT.—In carrying out this section, the Sec-
retary shall also establish guidelines for investment to be uti-
lized by the Department of Defense and the military depart-
ments in determining the allocation of financial resources to 
facilities referred to in subsection (b) in order to meet the 
deadline specified under paragraph (1). 
(e) REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF STAND-
ARDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 2008, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
a report on the actions taken to carry out subsection (a). 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report under paragraph (1) shall 
include the following: 
(A) The standards established under subsection (a). 
(B) An assessment of the appearance, condition, and 
maintenance of each facility referred to in subsection (b), 
including— 
(i) an assessment of the compliance of the facility 
with the standards established under subsection (a); 
and 
(ii) a description of any deficiency or noncompli-
ance in each facility with the standards. 
(C) A description of the investment to be allocated 
to address each deficiency or noncompliance identified 
under subparagraph (B)(ii). 
(f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than the date on which the 
President submits the budget for a fiscal year to Congress pursuant 
to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary shall
H. R. 1585—470 
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 
the House of Representatives a report on the adequacy, suitability, 
and quality of each facility referred to in subsection (b). The Sec-
retary shall include in each report information regarding— 
(1) any deficiencies in the adequacy, quality, or state of 
repair of medical-related support facilities raised as a result 
of information received during the period covered by the report 
through the toll-free hot line required by section 1616; and 
(2) the investigations conducted and plans of action pre-
pared under such section to respond to such deficiencies. 
SEC. 1649. REPORTS ON ARMY MEDICAL ACTION PLAN IN RESPONSE 
TO DEFICIENCIES IDENTIFIED AT WALTER REED ARMY 
MEDICAL CENTER, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and every 180 days thereafter until March 1, 2009, the 
Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees a report on the implementation of the Army Medical 
Action Plan to correct deficiencies identified in the condition of 
facilities and patient administration. 
SEC. 1650. REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH CLO-
SURE OF WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, DIS-
TRICT OF COLUMBIA. 
(a) CERTIFICATIONS.—In implementing the decision to close 
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, District of Columbia, required 
as a result of the 2005 round of defense base closure and realign-
ment under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 
1990 (part A of title XXIX of Public Law 101–510; U.S.C. 2687 
note), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
defense committees a certification of each of the following: 
(1) That a transition plan has been developed, and 
resources have been committed, to ensure that patient care 
services, medical operations, and facilities are sustained at 
the highest possible level at Walter Reed Army Medical Center 
until facilities to replace Walter Reed Army Medical Center 
are staffed and ready to assume at least the same level of 
care previously provided at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 
(2) That the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center 
will not result in a net loss of capacity in the major medical 
centers in the National Capitol Region in terms of total bed 
capacity or staffed bed capacity. 
(3) That the capacity of medical hold and out-patient 
lodging facilities operating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center 
as of the date of the certification will be available in sufficient 
quantities at the facilities designated to replace Walter Reed 
Army Medical Center by the date of the closure of Walter 
Reed Army Medical Center. 
(b) TIME FOR SUBMITTAL.—The Secretary shall submit the cer-
tifications required by subsection (a) not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. If the Secretary is unable 
to make one or more of the certifications by the end of the 90- 
day period, the Secretary shall notify the congressional defense 
committees of the delay and the reasons for the delay.
H. R. 1585—471 
SEC. 1651. HANDBOOK FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES ON 
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE FOR SERIOUS 
INJURIES AND ILLNESSES. 
(a) INFORMATION
ON AVAILABLE COMPENSATION
AND BENE-
FITS.—Not later than October 1, 2008, the Secretary of Defense 
shall develop and maintain, in handbook and electronic form, a 
comprehensive description of the compensation and other benefits 
to which a member of the Armed Forces, and the family of such 
member, would be entitled upon the separation or retirement of 
the member from the Armed Forces as a result of a serious injury 
or illness. The handbook shall set forth the range of such compensa-
tion and benefits based on grade, length of service, degree of dis-
ability at separation or retirement, and such other factors affecting 
such compensation and benefits as the Secretary considers appro-
priate. 
(b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Defense shall develop 
and maintain the comprehensive description required by subsection 
(a), including the handbook and electronic form of the description, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services, and the Commissioner of Social 
Security. 
(c) UPDATE.—The Secretary of Defense shall update the com-
prehensive description required by subsection (a), including the 
handbook and electronic form of the description, on a periodic 
basis, but not less often than annually. 
(d) PROVISION
TO MEMBERS.—The Secretary of the military 
department concerned shall provide the descriptive handbook under 
subsection (a) to each member of the Armed Forces described in 
that subsection as soon as practicable following the injury or illness 
qualifying the member for coverage under such subsection. 
(e) PROVISION TO REPRESENTATIVES.—If a member is incapaci-
tated or otherwise unable to receive the descriptive handbook to 
be provided under subsection (a), the handbook shall be provided 
to the next of kin or a legal representative of the member, as 
determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Sec-
retary of the military department concerned for purposes of this 
section. 
Subtitle E—Studies and Reports 
SEC. 1661. STUDY ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND OTHER 
READJUSTMENT NEEDS OF MEMBERS AND FORMER MEM-
BERS OF THE ARMED FORCES WHO DEPLOYED IN OPER-
ATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING 
FREEDOM AND THEIR FAMILIES. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense shall, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, enter into an 
agreement with the National Academy of Sciences for a study 
on the physical and mental health and other readjustment needs 
of members and former members of the Armed Forces who deployed 
in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom and 
their families as a result of such deployment. 
(b) PHASES.—The study required under subsection (a) shall 
consist of two phases: 
(1) A preliminary phase, to be completed not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act—
H. R. 1585—472 
(A) to identify preliminary findings on the physical 
and mental health and other readjustment needs described 
in subsection (a) and on gaps in care for the members, 
former members, and families described in that subsection; 
and 
(B) to determine the parameters of the second phase 
of the study under paragraph (2). 
(2) A second phase, to be completed not later than three 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, to carry 
out a comprehensive assessment, in accordance with the param-
eters identified under the preliminary report required by para-
graph (1), of the physical and mental health and other readjust-
ment needs of members and former members of the Armed 
Forces who deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation 
Enduring Freedom and their families as a result of such deploy-
ment, including, at a minimum— 
(A) an assessment of the psychological, social, and 
economic impacts of such deployment on such members 
and former members and their families; 
(B) an assessment of the particular impacts of multiple 
deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation 
Enduring Freedom on such members and former members 
and their families; 
(C) an assessment of the full scope of the neurological, 
psychiatric, and psychological effects of traumatic brain 
injury on members and former members of the Armed 
Forces, including the effects of such effects on the family 
members of such members and former members, and an 
assessment of the efficacy of current treatment approaches 
for traumatic brain injury in the United States and the 
efficacy of screenings and treatment approaches for trau-
matic brain injury within the Department of Defense and 
the Department of Veterans Affairs; 
(D) an assessment of the effects of undiagnosed injuries 
such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain 
injury, an estimate of the long-term costs associated with 
such injuries, and an assessment of the efficacy of 
screenings and treatment approaches for post-traumatic 
stress disorder and other mental health conditions within 
the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans 
Affairs; 
(E) an assessment of the gender- and ethnic group- 
specific needs and concerns of members of the Armed 
Forces and veterans; 
(F) an assessment of the particular needs and concerns 
of children of members of the Armed Forces, taking into 
account differing age groups, impacts on development and 
education, and the mental and emotional well being of 
children; 
(G) an assessment of the particular educational and 
vocational needs of such members and former members 
and their families, and an assessment of the efficacy of 
existing educational and vocational programs to address 
such needs; 
(H) an assessment of the impacts on communities with 
high populations of military families, including military
H. R. 1585—473 
housing communities and townships with deployed mem-
bers of the National Guard and Reserve, of deployments 
associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 
Enduring Freedom, and an assessment of the efficacy of 
programs that address community outreach and education 
concerning military deployments of community residents; 
(I) an assessment of the impacts of increasing numbers 
of older and married members of the Armed Forces on 
readjustment requirements; 
(J) the development, based on such assessments, of 
recommendations for programs, treatments, or policy rem-
edies targeted at preventing, minimizing, or addressing 
the impacts, gaps, and needs identified; and 
(K) the development, based on such assessments, of 
recommendations for additional research on such needs. 
(c) POPULATIONS TO BE STUDIED.—The study required under 
subsection (a) shall consider the readjustment needs of each popu-
lation of individuals as follows: 
(1) Members of the regular components of the Armed Forces 
who are returning, or have returned, to the United States 
from deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation 
Enduring Freedom. 
(2) Members of the National Guard and Reserve who are 
returning, or have returned, to the United States from deploy-
ment in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring 
Freedom. 
(3) Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation 
Enduring Freedom. 
(4) Family members of the members and veterans described 
in paragraphs (1) through (3). 
(d) ACCESS
TO
INFORMATION.—The National Academy of 
Sciences shall have access to such personnel, information, records, 
and systems of the Department of Defense and the Department 
of Veterans Affairs as the National Academy of Sciences requires 
in order to carry out the study required under subsection (a). 
(e) PRIVACY
OF
INFORMATION.—The National Academy of 
Sciences shall maintain any personally identifiable information 
accessed by the Academy in carrying out the study required under 
subsection (a) in accordance with all applicable laws, protections, 
and best practices regarding the privacy of such information, and 
may not permit access to such information by any persons or 
entities not engaged in work under the study. 
(f) REPORTS BY NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.—Upon the 
completion of each phase of the study required under subsection 
(a), the National Academy of Sciences shall submit to the Secretary 
of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the congressional 
defense committees a report on such phase of the study. 
(g) DOD AND VA RESPONSE TO NAS REPORTS.—Not later than 
90 days after the receipt of a report under subsection (f) on each 
phase of the study required under subsection (a), the Secretary 
of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall develop 
a final joint Department of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs 
response to the findings and recommendations of the National 
Academy of Sciences contained in such report.