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(i) basic and pre-deployment training 
for enlisted members of the Armed Forces, 
noncommissioned officers, and officers; 
(ii) combat theater operations; and 
(iii) post-deployment service. 
(B) UPDATES.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall update the plan under subparagraph (A) 
periodically to incorporate, as the Secretary 
considers appropriate, the results of relevant re-
search, including research conducted pursuant 
to subsection (b). 
(2) RESEARCH.—Subject to subsection (b), the 
Secretary of Defense shall develop a plan, in con-
sultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
the National Institutes of Health, and the National 
Academy of Sciences, to conduct such research as is 
necessary to develop the plan described in paragraph 
(1). 
(b) EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH AND TRAINING.— 
(1) WORKING GROUP.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall conduct a study, in coordination with the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Insti-
tutes of Health, and the National Academy of 
Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, to determine the fea-
sibility of establishing a working group tasked with 
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researching and developing evidence-based measures, 
practices, or procedures that reduce the likelihood 
that personnel in combat will develop post-traumatic 
stress disorder or other stress-related psychological 
pathologies (including substance use conditions). 
The working group shall include personnel with ex-
perience in a combat theater, and behavioral health 
personnel who have experience providing treatment 
to individuals with experience in a combat theater. 
(2) PEER-REVIEWED
RESEARCH
PROGRAM.— 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall sub-
mit to Congress a plan for a peer-reviewed research 
program within the Defense Health Program’s re-
search and development function to research and de-
velop evidence-based preventive and early interven-
tion measures, practices, or procedures that reduce 
the likelihood that personnel in combat will develop 
post-traumatic stress disorder or other stress-related 
psychopathologies (including substance use condi-
tions). 
(c) REPORT.—The Secretary of Defense shall submit 
to Congress annually a report on the plans and studies 
required under this section. 
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TITLE II—STUDIES AND 
REPORTS 
SEC. 201. ANNUAL REPORT ON MILITARY MEDICAL FACILI-
TIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) REPORT
REQUIREMENT.—Chapter 23 of 
title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 490. Annual report on military medical facilities 
‘‘(a) 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, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Represent-
atives a report on the adequacy, suitability, and quality 
of medical facilities and medical-related support facilities 
at each military installation within the Department of De-
fense. 
‘‘(b) RESPONSE TO HOT-LINE INFORMATION.—The 
Secretary of Defense shall include in each report informa-
tion 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 
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line maintained pursuant to section 1567 of this 
title; and 
‘‘(2) the investigations conducted and plans of 
action prepared under such section to respond to 
such deficiencies. 
‘‘(c) MEDICAL-RELATED SUPPORT FACILITY.—In 
this section, the term ‘medical-related support facility’ is 
any facility of the Department of Defense that provides 
support to any of the following: 
‘‘(1) Members of the armed forces admitted for 
treatment to military medical treatment facilities. 
‘‘(2) Members of the armed forces assigned to 
military medical treatment facilities as an out-
patient. 
‘‘(3) Family members accompanying any mem-
ber described in paragraph (1) or (2) as a nonmed-
ical attendant.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 
by adding at the end the following new item: 
‘‘490. Annual report on military medical facilities.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The first report under sec-
tion 490 of title 10, United States Code, as added by sub-
section (a), shall be submitted not later than the date of 
submission of the budget for fiscal year 2009. 
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SEC. 202. ACCESS OF RECOVERING SERVICE MEMBERS TO 
ADEQUATE OUTPATIENT RESIDENTIAL FA-
CILITIES. 
(a) REQUIRED INSPECTIONS
OF FACILITIES.—All 
quarters of the United States and housing facilities under 
the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces that are occupied by 
recovering service members shall be inspected on a semi-
annual basis for the first two years after the enactment 
of this Act and annually thereafter by the inspectors gen-
eral of the regional medical commands. 
(b) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORTS.—The inspector 
general for each regional medical command shall— 
(1) submit a report on each inspection of a fa-
cility conducted under subsection (a) to the post 
commander at such facility, the commanding officer 
of the hospital affiliated with such facility, the sur-
geon general of the military department that oper-
ates such hospital, the Secretary of the military de-
partment concerned, the Assistant Secretary of De-
fense for Health Affairs, the Oversight Board for 
Wounded Warriors established pursuant to section 
112, and the appropriate congressional committees; 
and 
(2) post each such report on the Internet 
website of such regional medical command. 
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SEC. 203. EVALUATION AND REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE AND DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS DISABILITY EVALUATION SYSTEMS. 
(a) EVALUATION.—The Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a joint evalua-
tion of the disability evaluation systems used by the De-
partment of Defense and the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs for the purpose of— 
(1) improving the consistency of the two dis-
ability evaluation systems; and 
(2) evaluating the feasibility of, and potential 
options for, consolidating the two systems. 
(b) RELATION TO VETERANS’ DISABILITY BENEFITS 
COMMISSION.—In conducting the evaluation of the dis-
ability evaluation systems used by the Department of De-
fense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Sec-
retary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall consider the findings and recommendations of the 
Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission established pur-
suant to title XV of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108–136; 38 U.S.C. 
1101 note). 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the submission of the final report of the Veterans’ Dis-
ability Benefits Commission, the Secretary of Defense and 
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the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress 
a report containing— 
(1) the results of the evaluation; and 
(2) the recommendations of the Secretaries for 
improving the consistency of the two disability eval-
uation systems and such other recommendations as 
the Secretaries consider appropriate. 
SEC. 204. STUDY AND REPORT ON SUPPORT SERVICES FOR 
FAMILIES OF RECOVERING SERVICE MEM-
BERS. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall conduct a study of the provision of support services 
for families of recovering service members. 
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The study under sub-
section (a) shall include the following: 
(1) A determination of the types of support 
services that are currently provided by the Depart-
ment of Defense to family members described in 
subsection (c), and the cost of providing such serv-
ices. 
(2) A determination of additional types of sup-
port services that would be feasible for the Depart-
ment to provide to such family members, and the 
costs of providing such services, including the fol-
lowing types of services: 
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(A) The provision of medical care at mili-
tary medical treatment facilities. 
(B) The provision of job placement services 
offered by the Department of Defense to any 
family member caring for a recovering service 
member for more than 45 days during a one- 
year period. 
(C) The provision of meals without charge 
at military medical treatment facilities. 
(3) A survey of military medical treatment fa-
cilities to estimate the number of family members to 
whom the support services would be provided. 
(4) A determination of any discrimination in 
employment that such family members experience, 
including denial of retention in employment, pro-
motion, or any benefit of employment by an em-
ployer on the basis of the person’s absence from em-
ployment as described in subsection (c), and a deter-
mination, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Labor, of the options available for such family mem-
bers. 
(c) COVERED FAMILY MEMBERS.—A family member 
described in this subsection is a family member of a recov-
ering service member who is— 
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(1) on invitational orders while caring for the 
recovering service member; 
(2) a non-medical attendee caring for the recov-
ering service member; or 
(3) receiving per diem payments from the De-
partment of Defense while caring for the recovering 
service member. 
(d) 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. 
SEC. 205. REPORT ON TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY CLASSI-
FICATIONS. 
(a) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Serv-
ices of the Senate and the House of Representatives an 
interim report describing the changes undertaken within 
the Department of Defense to ensure that traumatic brain 
injury victims receive a proper medical designation con-
comitant with their injury as opposed to the current med-
ical designation which assigns a generic ‘‘organic psy-
chiatric disorder’’ classification. 
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(b) FINAL 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 Serv-
ices of the Senate and the House of Representatives a 
final report concerning traumatic brain injury classifica-
tions and an explanation and justification of the Depart-
ment’s use of the international classification of disease 
(ICD) 9 designation, recommendations for transitioning to 
ICD 10 or 11, and the benefits the civilian community 
experiences from using ICD 10. 
SEC. 206. EVALUATION OF THE POLYTRAUMA LIAISON OF-
FICER/NON-COMMISSIONED 
OFFICER 
PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall conduct an evaluation of the Polytrauma Liai-
son Officer/Non-Commissioned Officer program, which is 
the program operated by each of the military departments 
and the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose 
of— 
(1) assisting in the seamless transition of mem-
bers of the Armed Forces from the Department of 
Defense health care system to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs system; and 
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(2) expediting the flow of information and com-
munication between military treatment facilities and 
the Veterans Affairs Polytrauma Centers. 
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The evaluation of the 
Polytrauma Liaison Officer/Non-Commissioned Officer 
program shall include evaluating the following areas: 
(1) The program’s effectiveness in the following 
areas: 
(A) Handling of military patient transfers. 
(B) Ability to access military records in a 
timely manner. 
(C) Collaboration with Polytrauma Center 
treatment teams. 
(D) Collaboration with Veteran Service Or-
ganizations. 
(E) Functioning as the Polytrauma Cen-
ter’s subject-matter expert on military issues. 
(F) Supporting and assisting family mem-
bers. 
(G) Providing education, information, and 
referrals to members of the Armed Forces and 
their family members. 
(H) Functioning as uniformed advocates 
for members of the Armed Forces and their 
family members. 
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(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. 
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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. 
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(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. 
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(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 
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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; 
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(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 
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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). 
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(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: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
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