H. R. 1119—175
of payment of the principal, interest, and related expenses of a
loan obtained by a person described in subsection (b) for—
‘‘(A) all educational expenses, comparable to all educational
expenses recognized under section 2127(a) of this title for
participants in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholar-
ship and Financial Assistance program; and
‘‘(B) reasonable living expenses, not to exceed expenses
comparable to the stipend paid under section 2121(d) of this
title for participants in the Armed Forces Health Professions
Scholarship and Financial Assistance program.
‘‘(2) For each year of obligated service that a person agrees
to serve in an agreement described in subsection (b)(3), the Sec-
retary of the military department concerned may pay not more
than $22,000 on behalf of the person. This maximum amount shall
be increased annually by the Secretary of Defense effective October
1 of each year by the percentage equal to the percent increase
in the average annual cost of educational expenses and stipend
costs of a single scholarship under the Armed Forces Health Profes-
sions Scholarship and Financial Assistance program. The total
amount that may be repaid on behalf of any person may not
exceed an amount determined on the basis of a four-year active
duty service obligation.
‘‘(f) ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE OBLIGATION.—(1) A person entering
into an agreement described in subsection (b)(3) incurs an active
duty service obligation. The length of this obligation shall be deter-
mined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense,
but those regulations may not provide for a period of obligation
of less than one year for each maximum annual amount, or portion
thereof, paid on behalf of the person for qualified loans.
‘‘(2) For persons on active duty before entering into the agree-
ment, the active duty service obligation shall be served consecutively
to any other obligation incurred under the agreement.
‘‘(g) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO COMPLETE OBLIGATION.—A commis-
sioned officer who is relieved of the officer’s active duty obligation
under this section before the completion of that obligation may
be given, with or without the consent of the officer, any alternative
obligation comparable to any of the alternative obligations author-
ized by section 2123(e) of this title for participants in the Armed
Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance
program.
‘‘(h) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe
regulations to carry out this section, including standards for quali-
fied loans and authorized payees and other terms and conditions
for the making of loan repayments.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the begin-
ning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following
new item:
‘‘2173. Education loan repayment program: commissioned officers in specified health
professions.’’.
SEC. 652. CONFORMANCE OF NOAA COMMISSIONED OFFICERS SEPARA-
TION PAY TO SEPARATION PAY FOR MEMBERS OF OTHER
UNIFORMED SERVICES.
(a) ELIMINATION OF LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF SEPARATION
PAY.—Section 9 of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned
Officers’ Act of 1948 (33 U.S.C. 853h) is amended—
H. R. 1119—176
(1) in subsection (b)(1), by striking out ‘‘, or $30,000, which-
ever is less’’;
(2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking out ‘‘, but in no event
more than $15,000’’; and
(3) in subsection (d), by striking out ‘‘(1)’’, and by striking
out paragraph (2).
(b) WAIVER OF RECOUPMENT OF AMOUNTS WITHHELD FOR TAX
PURPOSES FROM CERTAIN SEPARATION PAY.—Section 9(e)(2) of the
Coast and Geodetic Survey Commissioned Officers’ Act of 1948
(33 U.S.C. 853h(e)(2)) is amended in the first sentence by inserting
before the period at the end the following: ‘‘, less the amount
of Federal income tax withheld from such pay (such withholding
being at the flat withholding rate for Federal income tax withhold-
ing, as in effect pursuant to regulations prescribed under chapter
24 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986)’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICATION.—The amendments made
by this section shall take effect as of October 1, 1997, and shall
apply to payments of separation pay that are made after September
30, 1997.
SEC. 653. ELIGIBILITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE OFFICERS AND
NOAA 
COMMISSIONED 
CORPS 
OFFICERS 
FOR
REIMBURSEMENT OF ADOPTION EXPENSES.
(a) PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE.—Section 221(a) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 213a(a)) is amended by adding at
the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(16) Section 1052, Reimbursement for adoption expenses.’’.
(b) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION.—
Section 3(a) of the Act of August 10, 1956 (33 U.S.C. 857a(a)),
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(16) Section 1052, Reimbursement for adoption expenses.’’.
(c) PROSPECTIVE APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply only to adoptions that are completed on
or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 654. PAYMENT OF BACK QUARTERS AND SUBSISTENCE ALLOW-
ANCES TO WORLD WAR II VETERANS WHO SERVED AS
GUERRILLA FIGHTERS IN THE PHILIPPINES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the military department
concerned shall pay, upon request, to an individual described in
subsection (b) the amount determined with respect to that individ-
ual under subsection (c).
(b) COVERED INDIVIDUALS.—A payment under subsection (a)
shall be made to any individual who as a member of the Armed
Forces during World War II—
(1) was captured within the territory of the Philippines
by Japanese forces;
(2) escaped from captivity; and
(3) served as a guerrilla fighter in the Philippines during
the period from January 1942 through February 1945.
(c) AMOUNT TO BE PAID.—The amount of a payment under
subsection (a) shall be the amount of quarters and subsistence
allowance which accrued to an individual described in subsection
(b) during the period specified in paragraph (3) of subsection (b)
and which was not paid to that individual. For the purposes of
this subsection, the Secretary of War shall be deemed to have
determined that conditions in the Philippines during the specified
period justified payment under applicable regulations of quarters
H. R. 1119—177
and subsistence allowances at the maximum special rate for duty
where emergency conditions existed. The Secretary shall apply
interest compounded at the three-month Treasury bill rate.
(d) PAYMENT
TO SURVIVORS.—In the case of any individual
described in subsection (b) who is deceased, payment under this
section with respect to that individual shall be made to that individ-
ual’s nearest surviving relative, as determined by the Secretary
concerned.
SEC. 655. SUBSISTENCE OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES ABOVE
THE POVERTY LEVEL.
(a) STUDY AND REPORT.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall
conduct a study of members of the Armed Forces and their families
who subsist at, near, or below the poverty level. The study shall
include the following:
(A) An analysis of potential solutions for ensuring that
members of the Armed Forces and their families do not have
to subsist at, near, or below the poverty level, including poten-
tial solutions involving changes in the system of allowances
for members.
(B) Identification of the military populations most likely
to need income support under Federal Government programs,
including—
(i) the populations living in areas of the United States
where housing costs are notably high;
(ii) the populations living outside the United States;
and
(iii) the number of persons in each identified popu-
lation.
(C) The desirability of increasing rates of basic pay and
allowances for members over a defined period of years by a
range of percentages that provides for higher percentage
increases for lower ranking members than for higher ranking
members.
(2) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress
a report containing the results of the study and such recommenda-
tions as the Secretary considers to be appropriate.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION
OF DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE SPECIAL
SUPPLEMENTAL
FOOD
PROGRAM
FOR
PERSONNEL
OUTSIDE
THE
UNITED STATES.—(1) Subsection (b) of section 1060a of title 10,
United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(b) FEDERAL PAYMENTS AND COMMODITIES.—For the purpose
of obtaining Federal payments and commodities in order to carry
out the program referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of
Agriculture shall make available to the Secretary of Defense the
same payments and commodities as are made for the special supple-
mental food program in the United States under section 17 of
the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786). The Secretary
of Defense may use funds available for the Department of Defense
to carry out the program under subsection (a).’’.
(2) Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress
a report regarding the intentions of the Secretary regarding
implementation of the program authorized under section 1060a
of title 10, United States Code, including any plans to implement
the program.
H. R. 1119—178
TITLE VII—HEALTH CARE PROVISIONS
Subtitle A—Health Care Services
Sec. 701. Expansion of retiree dental insurance plan to include surviving spouse
and child dependents of certain deceased members.
Sec. 702. Provision of prosthetic devices to covered beneficiaries.
Sec. 703. Study concerning the provision of comparative information.
Subtitle B—TRICARE Program
Sec. 711. Addition of definition of TRICARE program to title 10.
Sec. 712. Plan for expansion of managed care option of TRICARE program.
Subtitle C—Uniformed Services Treatment Facilities
Sec. 721. Implementation of designated provider agreements for Uniformed
Services Treatment Facilities.
Sec. 722. Continued acquisition of reduced-cost drugs.
Sec. 723. Limitation on total payments.
Subtitle D—Other Changes to Existing Laws Regarding Health Care
Management
Sec. 731. Improvements in health care coverage and access for members assigned
to certain duty locations far from sources of care.
Sec. 732. Waiver or reduction of copayments under overseas dental program.
Sec. 733. Premium collection requirements for medical and dental insurance
programs; extension of deadline for implementation of dental insurance
program for military retirees.
Sec. 734. Dental insurance plan coverage for retirees of the Public Health Service
and NOAA.
Sec. 735. Consistency between CHAMPUS and Medicare in payment rates for
services.
Sec. 736. Use of personal services contracts for provision of health care services and
legal protection for providers.
Sec. 737. Portability of State licenses for Department of Defense health care
professionals.
Sec. 738. Standard form and requirements regarding claims for payment for
services.
Sec. 739. Chiropractic health care demonstration program.
Subtitle E—Other Matters
Sec. 741. Continued admission of civilians as students in physician assistant train-
ing program of Army Medical Department.
Sec. 742. Payment for emergency health care overseas for military and civilian
personnel of the On-Site Inspection Agency.
Sec. 743. Authority for agreement for use of medical resource facility, Alamogordo,
New Mexico.
Sec. 744. Disclosures of cautionary information on prescription medications.
Sec. 745. Competitive procurement of certain ophthalmic services.
Sec. 746. Comptroller General study of adequacy and effect of maximum allowable
charges for physicians under CHAMPUS.
Sec. 747. Comptroller General study of Department of Defense pharmacy programs.
Sec. 748. Comptroller General study of Navy graduate medical education program.
Sec. 749. Study of expansion of pharmaceuticals by mail program to include
additional Medicare-eligible covered beneficiaries.
Sec. 750. Comptroller General study of requirement for military medical facilities
in National Capital Region.
Sec. 751. Report on policies and programs to promote healthy lifestyles for
members of the Armed Forces and their dependents.
Sec. 752. Sense of Congress regarding quality health care for retirees.
Subtitle F—Persian Gulf Illness
Sec. 761. Definitions.
Sec. 762. Plan for health care services for Persian Gulf veterans.
Sec. 763. Comptroller General study of revised disability criteria for physical
evaluation boards.
Sec. 764. Medical care for certain reserves who served in Southwest Asia during
the Persian Gulf War.
Sec. 765. Improved medical tracking system for members deployed overseas in
contingency or combat operations.