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of the Armed Forces, or unwarranted ineffi-
ciencies and delays;
(C) eliminate material variations in poli-
cies, interpretations, and overall performance
standards among the military departments
under the disability evaluation system; and
(D) determine whether it enhances the capa-
bility of the Department of Veterans Affairs to
receive and determine claims from members of
the Armed Forces for compensation, pension,
hospitalization, or other veterans benefits; and
(2) in conjunction with the findings and rec-
ommendations of applicable Presidential and Depart-
ment of Defense study groups, to provide for the even-
tual development of revised and improved practices
and procedures for the disability evaluation system in
order to achieve the objectives set forth in paragraph
(1).
(e) UTILIZATION OF RESULTS IN UPDATES OF COM-
PREHENSIVE POLICY ON CARE, MANAGEMENT, AND TRANSI-
TION OF COVERED SERVICEMEMBERS.—The Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly
incorporate responses to any findings and recommendations
arising under the pilot programs required by subsection (a)
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in updating the comprehensive policy on the care and man-
agement of covered servicemembers under section 111.
(f) CONSTRUCTION WITH OTHER AUTHORITIES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), in
carrying out a pilot program under subsection (a)—
(A) the rules and regulations of the Depart-
ment of Defense and the Department of Veterans
Affairs relating to methods of determining fitness
or unfitness for duty and disability ratings for
members of the Armed Forces shall apply to the
pilot program only to the extent provided in the
report on the pilot program under subsection
(h)(1); and
(B) the Secretary of Defense and the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs may waive any provi-
sion of title 10, 37, or 38, United States Code,
relating to methods of determining fitness or
unfitness for duty and disability ratings for
members of the Armed Forces if the Secretaries
determine in writing that the application of such
provision would be inconsistent with the purpose
of the pilot program.
(2) LIMITATION.—Nothing in paragraph (1)
shall be construed to authorize the waiver of any pro-
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vision of section 1216a of title 10, United States
Code, as added by section 152 of this Act.
(g) DURATION.—Each pilot program under subsection
(a) shall be completed not later than one year after the date
of the commencement of such pilot program under that sub-
section.
(h) REPORTS.—
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 90 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate com-
mittees of Congress a report on the pilot programs
under subsection (a). The report shall include—
(A) a description of the scope and objectives
of each pilot program;
(B) a description of the methodology to be
used under such pilot program to ensure rapid
identification under such pilot program of re-
vised or improved practices under the disability
evaluation system of the Department of Defense
in order to achieve the objectives set forth in sub-
section (d)(1); and
(C) a statement of any provision described
in subsection (f)(1)(B) that shall not apply to
the pilot program by reason of a waiver under
that subsection.
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(2) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than 150 days
after the date of the submittal of the report required
by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report describ-
ing the current status of such pilot program.
(3) FINAL
REPORT.—Not later than 90 days
after the completion of all the pilot programs de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection
(c), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report setting forth a final
evaluation and assessment of such pilot programs.
The report shall include such recommendations for
legislative or administrative action as the Secretary
considers appropriate in light of such pilot programs.
SEC. 155. REPORTS ON ARMY ACTION PLAN IN RESPONSE
TO DEFICIENCIES IN THE ARMY PHYSICAL
DISABILITY EVALUATION SYSTEM.
(a) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 120
days thereafter until March 1, 2009, the Secretary of De-
fense shall submit to the congressional defense committees
a report on the implementation of corrective measures by
the Department of Defense with respect to the Physical Dis-
ability Evaluation System (PDES) in response to the fol-
lowing:
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(1) The report of the Inspector General of the
Army on that system of March 6, 2007.
(2) The report of the Independent Review Group
on Rehabilitation Care and Administrative Processes
at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National
Naval Medical Center.
(3) The report of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs Task Force on Returning Global War on Terror
Heroes.
(b) ELEMENTS OF REPORT.—Each report under sub-
section (a) shall include current information on the fol-
lowing:
(1) The total number of cases, and the number
of cases involving combat disabled servicemembers,
pending resolution before the Medical and Physical
Disability Evaluation Boards of the Army, including
information on the number of members of the Army
who have been in a medical hold or holdover status
for more than each of 100, 200, and 300 days.
(2) The status of the implementation of modi-
fications to disability evaluation processes of the De-
partment of Defense in response to the following:
(A) The report of the Inspector General on
such processes dated March 6, 2007.
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(B) The report of the Independent Review
Group on Rehabilitation Care and Administra-
tive Processes at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center and National Naval Medical Center.
(C) The report of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs Task Force on Returning Global
War on Terror Heroes.
(c) POSTING ON INTERNET.—Not later than 24 hours
after submitting a report under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall post such report on the Internet website of the
Department of Defense that is available to the public.
PART II—OTHER DISABILITY MATTERS
SEC. 161. ENHANCEMENT OF DISABILITY SEVERANCE PAY
FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1212 of title 10, United
States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘his years of
service, but not more than 12, computed under section
1208 of this title’’ in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A) and inserting ‘‘the member’s years of serv-
ice computed under section 1208 of this title (subject
to the minimum and maximum years of service pro-
vided for in subsection (c))’’;
(2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection
(d); and
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(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following
new subsection (c):
‘‘(c)(1) The minimum years of service of a member for
purposes of subsection (a)(1) shall be as follows:
‘‘(A) Six years in the case of a member separated
from the armed forces for a disability incurred in line
of duty in a combat zone (as designated by the Sec-
retary of Defense for purposes of this subsection) or
incurred during the performance of duty in combat-
related operations as designated by the Secretary of
Defense.
‘‘(B) Three years in the case of any other mem-
ber.
‘‘(2) The maximum years of service of a member for
purposes of subsection (a)(1) shall be 19 years.’’.
(b) NO DEDUCTION FROM COMPENSATION OF SEVER-
ANCE
PAY
FOR
DISABILITIES
INCURRED
IN
COMBAT
ZONES.—Subsection (d) of such section, as redesignated by
subsection (a)(2) of this section, is further amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(d)’’;
(2) by striking the second sentence; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new para-
graphs:
‘‘(2) No deduction may be made under paragraph (1)
in the case of disability severance pay received by a member
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for a disability incurred in line of duty in a combat zone
or incurred during performance of duty in combat-related
operations as designated by the Secretary of Defense.
‘‘(3) No deduction may be made under paragraph (1)
from any death compensation to which a member’s depend-
ents become entitled after the member’s death.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this
section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this
Act, and shall apply with respect to members of the Armed
Forces separated from the Armed Forces under chapter 61
of title 10, United States Code, on or after that date.
SEC. 162. TRAUMATIC SERVICEMEMBERS’ GROUP LIFE IN-
SURANCE.
(a) DESIGNATION OF FIDUCIARY FOR MEMBERS WITH
LOST MENTAL CAPACITY OR EXTENDED LOSS OF CON-
SCIOUSNESS.—The Secretary of Defense shall, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, develop a form
for the designation of a recipient for the funds distributed
under section 1980A of title 38, United States Code, as the
fiduciary of a member of the Armed Forces in cases where
the member is medically incapacitated (as determined by
the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs) or experiencing an extended loss of con-
sciousness.
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(b) ELEMENTS.—The form under subsection (a) shall
require that a member may elect that—
(1) an individual designated by the member be
the recipient as the fiduciary of the member; or
(2) a court of proper jurisdiction determine the
recipient as the fiduciary of the member for purposes
of this subsection.
(c) COMPLETION AND UPDATE.—The form under sub-
section (a) shall be completed by an individual at the time
of entry into the Armed Forces and updated periodically
thereafter.
SEC. 163. ELECTRONIC TRANSFER FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS 
AFFAIRS 
OF 
DOCUMENTS 
SUP-
PORTING ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS.
The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall jointly develop and implement a mechanism
to provide for the electronic transfer from the Department
of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs of any De-
partment of Defense documents (including Department of
Defense form DD–214) necessary to establish or support the
eligibility of a member of the Armed Forces for benefits
under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs at the time of the retirement, separation, or release
of the member from the Armed Forces.
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SEC. 164. ASSESSMENTS OF TEMPORARY DISABILITY RE-
TIRED LIST.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Comptroller
General of the United States shall each submit to the con-
gressional defense committees a report assessing the con-
tinuing utility of the temporary disability retired list in
satisfying the purposes for which the temporary disability
retired list was established. Each report shall include such
recommendations for the modification or improvement of
the temporary disability retired list as the Secretary or the
Comptroller General, as applicable, considers appropriate
in light of the assessment in such report.
Subtitle D—Improvement of
Facilities Housing Patients
SEC. 171. STANDARDS FOR MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT
FACILITIES, SPECIALTY MEDICAL CARE FA-
CILITIES, AND MILITARY QUARTERS HOUSING
PATIENTS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS.—The Secretary
of Defense shall establish for the military facilities referred
to in subsection (b) standards with respect to the matters
set forth in subsection (c). The standards shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable—
(1) be uniform and consistent across such facili-
ties; and
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(2) be uniform and consistent across the Depart-
ment of Defense and the military departments.
(b) COVERED MILITARY FACILITIES.—The military
facilities referred to in this subsection are the military fa-
cilities of the Department of Defense and the military de-
partments as follows:
(1) Military medical treatment facilities.
(2) Specialty medical care facilities.
(3) Military quarters or leased housing for pa-
tients.
(c) SCOPE OF STANDARDS.—The standards required
by subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) Generally accepted standards for the accredi-
tation of medical facilities, or for facilities used to
quarter individuals that may require medical super-
vision, as applicable, in the United States.
(2) To the extent not inconsistent with the stand-
ards described in paragraph (1), minimally accept-
able conditions for the following:
(A) Appearance and maintenance of facili-
ties 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.
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(C) Operation and maintenance of primary
and back-up facility utility systems and other
systems required for patient care, including elec-
trical systems, plumbing systems, heating, ven-
tilation, and air conditioning systems, commu-
nications systems, fire protection systems, energy
management systems, and other systems required
for patient care.
(D) Compliance with Federal Government
standards for hospital facilities and operations.
(E) 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.).
(F) Such other matters relating to the ap-
pearance, size, operation, and maintenance of fa-
cilities and rooms as the Secretary considers ap-
propriate.
(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 en-
actment of this Act, and shall, to the maximum extent
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practicable, be uniform across the facilities referred to
in subsection (b).
(2) INVESTMENT.—In carrying out this section,
the Secretary shall also establish guidelines for invest-
ment to be utilized by the Department of Defense and
the military departments in determining the alloca-
tion of financial resources to facilities referred to in
subsection (b) in order to meet the deadline specified
under paragraph (1).
(e) REPORT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 30,
2007, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional
defense committees a report on the actions taken to
carry out this section.
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report under paragraph
(1) shall include the following:
(A) The standards established under sub-
section (a).
(B) An assessment of the appearance, condi-
tion, and maintenance of each facility referred to
in subsection (a), including—
(i) an assessment of the compliance of
such facility with the standards established
under subsection (a); and