H. R. 1815—210
institution of higher education during any reasonable period of 
transition between the dependent’s completion of a full-time course 
of study in a secondary school and the commencement of an enroll-
ment in a full-time course of study in an institution of higher 
education, as determined by the administering Secretary. 
‘‘(4) The terms and conditions under which health benefits 
are provided under this chapter to a dependent of a deceased 
member under paragraph (2) shall be the same as those that 
would apply to the dependent under this chapter if the member 
were living and serving on active duty for a period of more than 
30 days. 
‘‘(5) In this subsection, the term ‘TRICARE Prime’ means the 
managed care option of the TRICARE program.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by subsection 
(a) shall take effect on October 7, 2001, and shall apply with 
respect to deaths occurring on or after that date. 
SEC. 716. TRICARE STANDARD IN TRICARE REGIONAL OFFICES. 
(a) RESPONSIBILITIES
OF TRICARE REGIONAL OFFICE.—The 
responsibilities of each TRICARE Regional Office shall include the 
monitoring, oversight, and improvement of the TRICARE Standard 
option in the TRICARE region concerned, including—
(1) identifying health care providers who will participate 
in the TRICARE program and provide the TRICARE Standard 
option under that program; 
(2) communicating with beneficiaries who receive the 
TRICARE Standard option; 
(3) outreach to community health care providers to encour-
age their participation in the TRICARE program; and 
(4) publication of information that identifies health care 
providers in the TRICARE region concerned who provide the 
TRICARE Standard option. 
(b) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary of Defense shall submit 
an annual report to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives on the monitoring, over-
sight, and improvement of TRICARE Standard activities of each 
TRICARE Regional Office. The report shall include—
(1) a description of the activities of the TRICARE Regional 
Office to monitor, oversee, and improve the TRICARE Standard 
option; 
(2) an assessment of the participation of eligible health 
care providers in TRICARE Standard in each TRICARE region; 
and 
(3) a description of any problems or challenges that have 
been identified by both providers and beneficiaries with respect 
to use of the TRICARE Standard option and the actions under-
taken to address such problems or challenges. 
(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘TRICARE Standard’’ 
or ‘‘TRICARE standard option’’ means the Civilian Health and 
Medical Program of the Uniformed Services option under the 
TRICARE program. 
SEC. 717. QUALIFICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS SERVING AS TRICARE 
REGIONAL DIRECTORS. 
(a) QUALIFICATIONS.—Effective as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act, no individual may be selected to serve in the position 
of Regional Director under the TRICARE program unless the indi-
vidual—
H. R. 1815—211
(1) is—
(A) an officer of the Armed Forces in a general or 
flag officer grade; 
(B) a civilian employee of the Department of Defense 
in the Senior Executive Service; or 
(C) a civilian employee of the Federal Government 
in a department or agency other than the Department 
of Defense, or a civilian working in the private sector, 
who has experience in a position comparable to an officer 
described in subparagraph (A) or a civilian employee 
described in subparagraph (B); and 
(2) has at least 10 years of experience, or equivalent exper-
tise or training, in the military health care system, managed 
care, and health care policy and administration. 
(b) TRICARE PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘TRICARE program’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
1072(7) of title 10, United States Code. 
Subtitle C—Mental Health-Related 
Provisions 
SEC. 721. PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS FOR DEPEND-
ENTS AND PILOT PROJECT ON POST TRAUMATIC STRESS 
DISORDER. 
(a) PROGRAM ON MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS.—
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
develop a program to improve awareness of the availability 
of mental health services for, and warning signs about mental 
health problems in, dependents of members of the Armed Forces 
whose sponsor served or will serve in a combat theater during 
the previous or next 60 days. 
(2) MATTERS
COVERED.—The program developed under 
paragraph (1) shall be designed to—
(A) increase awareness of mental health services avail-
able to dependents of members of the Armed Forces on 
active duty; 
(B) increase awareness of mental health services avail-
able to dependents of Reservists and National Guard mem-
bers whose sponsors have been activated; and 
(C) increase awareness of mental health issues that 
may arise in dependents referred to in subparagraphs (A) 
and (B) whose sponsor is deployed to a combat theater. 
(3) COORDINATION.—The Secretary may permit the Depart-
ment of Defense to coordinate the program developed under 
paragraph (1) with an accredited college, university, hospital-
based, or community-based mental health center or engage 
mental health professionals to develop programs to help imple-
ment this section. 
(4) AVAILABILITY
IN
OTHER
LANGUAGES.—The Secretary 
shall evaluate whether the effectiveness of the program devel-
oped under paragraph (1) would be improved by providing 
materials in languages other than English and take action 
accordingly 
(5) REPORT.—Not later than one year after implementation 
of the program developed under paragraph (1), the Secretary
H. R. 1815—212
shall submit to Congress a report on the effectiveness of the 
program, including the extent to which the program is used 
by low-English-proficient individuals. 
(b) PILOT PROJECT ON POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.—
(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry 
out a pilot project to evaluate the efficacy of various approaches 
to improving the capability of the military and civilian health 
care systems to provide early diagnosis and treatment of post 
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health 
conditions. 
(2) INTERNET-BASED DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.—The pilot 
project shall be designed to evaluate—
(A) Internet-based automated tools available to mili-
tary and civilian health care providers for the early diag-
nosis and treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, and 
for tracking patients who suffer from post traumatic stress 
disorder; and 
(B) Internet-based tools available to family members 
of members of the Armed Forces in order to assist such 
family members in the identification of the emergence of 
post traumatic stress disorder. 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than June 1, 2006, the Secretary 
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
on the pilot project. The report shall include a description 
of the pilot project, including the location of the pilot project 
and the scope and objectives of the pilot project. 
SEC. 722. PILOT PROJECTS ON EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT 
OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND OTHER 
MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. 
(a) PILOT PROJECTS REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense may 
carry out pilot projects to evaluate the efficacy of various approaches 
to improving the capability of the military and civilian health 
care systems to provide early diagnosis and treatment of post trau-
matic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions. 
(b) PILOT PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) MOBILIZATION-DEMOBILIZATION FACILITY.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—A pilot project under subsection (a) 
may be carried out at a military medical facility at a 
large military installation at which the mobilization or 
demobilization of members of the Armed Forces occurs. 
(B) ELEMENTS.—The pilot project under this paragraph 
shall be designed to evaluate and produce effective diag-
nostic and treatment approaches for use by primary care 
providers in the military health care system in order to 
improve the capability of such providers to diagnose and 
treat post traumatic stress disorder in a manner that avoids 
the referral of patients to specialty care by a psychiatrist 
or other mental health professional. 
(2) NATIONAL GUARD OR RESERVE FACILITY.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—A pilot project under subsection (a) 
may be carried out at the location of a National Guard 
or Reserve unit or units that are located more than 40 
miles from a military medical facility and whose personnel 
are served primarily by civilian community health 
resources.
H. R. 1815—213
(B) ELEMENTS.—The pilot project under this paragraph 
shall be designed—
(i) to evaluate approaches for providing evidence-
based clinical information on post traumatic stress dis-
order to civilian primary care providers; and 
(ii) to develop educational materials and other tools 
for use by members of the National Guard or Reserve 
who come into contact with other members of the 
National Guard or Reserve who may suffer from post 
traumatic stress disorder in order to encourage and 
facilitate early reporting and referral for treatment. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than September 1, 2006, the Secretary 
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on 
the progress toward identifying pilot projects to be carried out 
under this section. To the extent possible the report shall include 
a description of each such pilot project, including the location of 
the pilot projects under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b), 
and the scope and objectives of each such pilot project. 
SEC. 723. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TASK FORCE ON MENTAL 
HEALTH. 
(a) REQUIREMENT
TO ESTABLISH.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall establish within the Department of Defense a task force 
to examine matters relating to mental health and the Armed Forces. 
(b) COMPOSITION.—
(1) MEMBERS.—The task force shall consist of not more 
than 14 members appointed by the Secretary of Defense from 
among individuals described in paragraph (2) who have dem-
onstrated expertise in the area of mental health. 
(2) RANGE OF MEMBERS.—The individuals appointed to the 
task force shall include—
(A) at least one member of each of the Army, Navy, 
Air Force, and Marine Corps; 
(B) a number of persons from outside the Department 
of Defense equal to the total number of personnel from 
within the Department of Defense (whether members of 
the Armed Forces or civilian personnel) who are appointed 
to the task force; 
(C) persons who have experience in—
(i) national mental health policy; 
(ii) military personnel policy; 
(iii) research in the field of mental health; 
(iv) clinical care in mental health; or 
(v) military chaplain or pastoral care; and 
(D) at least one family member of a member of the 
Armed Forces who has experience working with military 
families. 
(3) 
INDIVIDUALS
APPOINTED
WITHIN
DEPARTMENT
OF 
DEFENSE.—At least one of the individuals appointed to the 
task force from within the Department of Defense shall be 
the surgeon general of an Armed Force. 
(4) INDIVIDUALS
APPOINTED
OUTSIDE
DEPARTMENT
OF 
DEFENSE.—(A) Individuals appointed to the task force from 
outside the Department of Defense may include officers or 
employees of other departments or agencies of the Federal 
Government, officers or employees of State and local govern-
ments, or individuals from the private sector.