SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF OBJECTIVES FOR AND COORDI-
NATION BETWEEN DOD AND VA PROGRAMS. 
(a) SINGLE, COMPREHENSIVE, STANDARDIZED MED-
ICAL EXAMINATION.—The Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall develop a single, com-
prehensive, standardized medical examination for mem-
bers of the Armed Forces that, while administered by the 
Department of Defense, will be— 
(1) used by medical evaluation boards and 
physical evaluation boards of the Department of De-
fense to determine the fitness of a member of the 
Armed Forces to perform the duties of the member’s 
office, grade, rank, or rating; and 
(2) used by the Department of Veterans Affairs 
to establish the disability rating, compensation, and 
benefits programs for the member if the member is 
retired or separated because of physical disability. 
(b) DOD ROLE LIMITED TO DETERMINING FITNESS 
TO SERVE.—Section 1216 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 
(4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
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‘‘(e) The determination under this chapter of the per-
centage of disability of a member of the armed forces at 
the time of the member’s separation from active duty shall 
be made by the Department of Veterans Affairs.’’. 
(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the use of a single, comprehensive, standardized 
medical examination by both the Department of Defense 
and the Department of Veterans Affairs and the clear dif-
ferentiation of the roles of the Department of Defense and 
Department of Veterans Affairs disability programs will 
eliminate duplicative processes as well as reduce inequities 
for members of the Armed Forces. 
SEC. 3. AVAILABILITY OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DIS-
ORDER CARE. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall provide appropriate med-
ical care to any veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom or 
Operation Enduring Freedom who needs medical care for 
post-traumatic stress disorder regardless of the length of 
time the veteran has been separated from active duty serv-
ice in the armed forces. 
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SEC. 4. EXTENDED BENEFITS UNDER TRICARE FOR PRI-
MARY CAREGIVERS OF MEMBERS OF THE 
UNIFORMED SERVICES WHO INCUR A SERI-
OUS INJURY OR ILLNESS ON ACTIVE DUTY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1079(d) of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph (2): 
‘‘(2)(A) Subject to such terms, conditions, and excep-
tions as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate, 
the program of extended benefits for eligible dependents 
under this subsection shall include extended benefits for 
the primary caregivers of members of the uniformed serv-
ices who incur a serious injury or illness on active duty. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe in reg-
ulations the individuals who shall be treated as the pri-
mary caregivers of a member of the uniformed services 
for purposes of this paragraph. 
‘‘(C) For purposes of this section, a serious injury 
or illness, with respect to a member of the uniformed serv-
ices, is an injury or illness that may render the member 
medically unfit to perform the duties of the member’s of-
fice, grade, rank, or rating and that renders a member 
of the uniformed services dependant upon a caregiver.’’. 
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(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall take 60 days after the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT. 
(a) SERVICEMEMBER FAMILY LEAVE UNDER THE 
FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—Section 101 of the Family 
and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2611) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(14) ACTIVE DUTY.—The term ‘active duty’ 
means duty under a call or order to active duty 
under a provision of law referred to in section 
101(a)(13)(B) of title 10, United States Code. 
‘‘(15) COVERED
SERVICEMEMBER.—The term 
‘covered servicemember’ means a member of the 
Armed Forces, including a member of the National 
Guard or a Reserve, who is undergoing medical 
treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in 
medical hold or medical holdover status, or is other-
wise on the temporary disability retired list, for a se-
rious injury or illness. 
‘‘(16) MEDICAL HOLD OR MEDICAL HOLDOVER 
STATUS.—The term ‘medical hold or medical hold-
over status’ means— 
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‘‘(A) the status of a member of the Armed 
Forces, including a member of the National 
Guard or a Reserve, assigned or attached to a 
military hospital for medical care; and 
‘‘(B) the status of a member of a reserve 
component of the Armed Forces who is sepa-
rated, whether pre-deployment or post-deploy-
ment, from the member’s unit while in need of 
health care based on a medical condition identi-
fied while the member is on active duty in the 
Armed Forces. 
‘‘(17) NEXT OF KIN.—The term ‘next of kin’, 
used with respect to an individual, means the near-
est blood relative of that individual. 
‘‘(18) SERIOUS INJURY OR ILLNESS.—The term 
‘serious injury or illness’, in the case of a member 
of the Armed Forces, means an injury or illness in-
curred by the member in line of duty on active duty 
in the Armed Forces that results in a serious phys-
ical disability, as defined in section 199.2 of title 32, 
Code of Federal Regulations, or that renders the 
member medically unfit to perform the duties of the 
member’s office, grade, rank, or rating.’’. 
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(b) SERVICEMEMBER FAMILY LEAVE
FOR CIVIL 
SERVICE EMPLOYEES.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—Section 6381 of title 5, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe-
riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) the term ‘active duty’ means duty under a 
call or order to active duty under a provision of law 
referred to in section 101(a)(13)(B) of title 10, 
United States Code; 
‘‘(8) the term ‘covered servicemember’ means a 
member of the Armed Forces, including a member 
of the National Guard or a Reserve, who is under-
going medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is 
otherwise in medical hold or medical holdover status, 
or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired 
list, for a serious injury or illness; 
‘‘(9) the term ‘medical hold or medical holdover 
status’ means— 
‘‘(A) the status of a member of the Armed 
Forces, including a member of the National 
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Guard or a Reserve, assigned or attached to a 
military hospital for medical care; and 
‘‘(B) the status of a member of a reserve 
component of the Armed Forces who is sepa-
rated, whether pre-deployment or post-deploy-
ment, from the member’s unit while in need of 
health care based on a medical condition identi-
fied while the member is on active duty in the 
Armed Forces; 
‘‘(10) the term ‘next of kin’, used with respect 
to an individual, means the nearest blood relative of 
that individual; and 
‘‘(11) the term ‘serious injury or illness’, in the 
case of a member of the Armed Forces, means an 
injury or illness incurred by the member in line of 
duty on active duty in the Armed Forces that results 
in a serious physical disability, as defined in section 
199.2 of title 32, Code of Federal Regulations, or 
that renders the member medically unfit to perform 
the duties of the member’s office, grade, rank, or 
rating.’’. 
(2) ENTITLEMENT TO LEAVE.—Section 6382(a) 
of such title is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(3) Subject to section 6383, an employee who 
is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin 
of a covered servicemember shall be entitled to a 
total of 26 administrative workweeks of leave during 
a 12-month period to care for the servicemember. 
The leave described in this paragraph shall only be 
available during a single 12-month period. 
‘‘(4) During the single 12-month period de-
scribed in paragraph (3), an employee shall be enti-
tled to a combined total of 26 administrative work-
weeks of leave under paragraphs (1) and (3). Noth-
ing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the 
availability of leave under paragraph (1) during any 
other 12-month period.’’. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO LEAVE.— 
(A) SCHEDULE.—Section 6382(b) of such 
title is amended— 
(i) in paragraph (1), in the second 
sentence— 
(I) 
by 
striking 
‘‘section 
6383(b)(5)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(b)(5) or (f) (as appropriate) of sec-
tion 6383’’; and 
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(II) by inserting ‘‘or under sub-
section 
(a)(3)’’ 
after 
‘‘subsection 
(a)(1)’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or 
under subsection (a)(3)’’ after ‘‘subsection 
(a)(1)’’. 
(B) SUBSTITUTION OF PAID LEAVE.—Sec-
tion 6382(d) of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following: ‘‘An employee may 
elect to substitute for leave under subsection 
(a)(3) any of the employee’s accrued or accu-
mulated annual or sick leave under subchapter 
I for any part of the 26-week period of leave 
under such subsection.’’. 
(C) NOTICE.—Section 6382(e) of such title 
is amended by inserting ‘‘or under subsection 
(a)(3)’’ after ‘‘subsection (a)(1)’’. 
(4) CERTIFICATION.—Section 6383 of such title 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) An employing agency may require that a request 
for leave under section 6382(a)(3) be supported by a cer-
tification issued at such time and in such manner as the 
Office of Personnel Management may by regulation pre-
scribe.’’. 
Æ 
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