H. R. 1585—425 
SEC. 1515. STRATEGIC READINESS FUND. 
There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000,000 to the 
Strategic Readiness Fund. 
SEC. 1516. TREATMENT AS ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATIONS. 
The amounts authorized to be appropriated by this title are 
in addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated 
by this Act. 
SEC. 1517. SPECIAL TRANSFER AUTHORITY. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO TRANSFER AUTHORIZATIONS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY.—Upon determination by the Secretary of 
Defense that such action is necessary in the national interest, 
the Secretary may transfer amounts of authorizations made 
available to the Department of Defense in this title for fiscal 
year 2008 between any such authorizations for that fiscal year 
(or any subdivisions thereof). Amounts of authorizations so 
transferred shall be merged with and be available for the 
same purposes as the authorization to which transferred. 
(2) LIMITATION.—The total amount of authorizations that 
the Secretary may transfer under the authority of this section 
may not exceed $3,500,000,000. 
(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Transfers under this section shall 
be subject to the same terms and conditions as transfers under 
section 1001. 
(c) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY.—The transfer authority provided 
by this section is in addition to the transfer authority provided 
under section 1001. 
TITLE XVI—WOUNDED WARRIOR 
MATTERS 
Sec. 1601. Short title. 
Sec. 1602. General definitions. 
Sec. 1603. Consideration of gender-specific needs of recovering service members 
and veterans. 
Subtitle A—Policy on Improvements to Care, Management, and Transition of 
Recovering Service Members 
Sec. 1611. Comprehensive policy on improvements to care, management, and tran-
sition of recovering service members. 
Sec. 1612. Medical evaluations and physical disability evaluations of recovering 
service members. 
Sec. 1613. Return of recovering service members to active duty in the Armed 
Forces. 
Sec. 1614. Transition of recovering service members from care and treatment 
through the Department of Defense to care, treatment, and rehabilita-
tion through the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Sec. 1615. Reports. 
Sec. 1616. Establishment of a wounded warrior resource center. 
Sec. 1617. Notification to Congress of hospitalization of combat wounded service 
members. 
Sec. 1618. Comprehensive plan on prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and 
rehabilitation of, and research on, traumatic brain injury, post-trau-
matic stress disorder, and other mental health conditions in members 
of the Armed Forces. 
Subtitle B—Centers of Excellence in the Prevention, Diagnosis, Mitigation, Treat-
ment, and Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Dis-
order, and Eye Injuries 
Sec. 1621. Center of excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, 
and rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury.
H. R. 1585—426 
Sec. 1622. Center of excellence in prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and 
rehabilitation of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health 
conditions. 
Sec. 1623. Center of excellence in prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and 
rehabilitation of military eye injuries. 
Sec. 1624. Report on establishment of centers of excellence. 
Subtitle C—Health Care Matters 
Sec. 1631. Medical care and other benefits for members and former members of the 
Armed Forces with severe injuries or illnesses. 
Sec. 1632. Reimbursement of travel expenses of retired members with combat-re-
lated disabilities for follow-on specialty care, services, and supplies. 
Sec. 1633. Respite care and other extended care benefits for members of the uni-
formed services who incur a serious injury or illness on active duty. 
Sec. 1634. Reports. 
Sec. 1635. Fully interoperable electronic personal health information for the De-
partment of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Sec. 1636. Enhanced personnel authorities for the Department of Defense for 
health care professionals for care and treatment of wounded and injured 
members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 1637. Continuation of transitional health benefits for members of the Armed 
Forces pending resolution of service-related medical conditions. 
Subtitle D—Disability Matters 
Sec. 1641. Utilization of veterans’ presumption of sound condition in establishing 
eligibility of members of the Armed Forces for retirement for disability. 
Sec. 1642. Requirements and limitations on Department of Defense determinations 
of disability with respect to members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 1643. Review of separation of members of the Armed Forces separated from 
service with a disability rating of 20 percent disabled or less. 
Sec. 1644. Authorization of pilot programs to improve the disability evaluation sys-
tem for members of the Armed Forces. 
Sec. 1645. Reports on Army action plan in response to deficiencies in the Army 
physical disability evaluation system. 
Sec. 1646. Enhancement of disability severance pay for members of the Armed 
Forces. 
Sec. 1647. Assessments of continuing utility and future role of temporary disability 
retired list. 
Sec. 1648. Standards for military medical treatment facilities, specialty medical 
care facilities, and military quarters housing patients and annual report 
on such facilities. 
Sec. 1649. Reports on Army Medical Action Plan in response to deficiencies identi-
fied at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, District of Columbia. 
Sec. 1650. Required certifications in connection with closure of Walter Reed Army 
Medical Center, District of Columbia. 
Sec. 1651. Handbook for members of the Armed Forces on compensation and bene-
fits available for serious injuries and illnesses. 
Subtitle E—Studies and Reports 
Sec. 1661. Study on physical and mental health and other readjustment needs of 
members and former members of the Armed Forces who deployed in Op-
eration Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and their fami-
lies. 
Sec. 1662. Access of recovering service members to adequate outpatient residential 
facilities. 
Sec. 1663. Study and report on support services for families of recovering service 
members. 
Sec. 1664. Report on traumatic brain injury classifications. 
Sec. 1665. Evaluation of the Polytrauma Liaison Officer/Non-Commissioned Officer 
program. 
Subtitle F—Other Matters 
Sec. 1671. Prohibition on transfer of resources from medical care. 
Sec. 1672. Medical care for families of members of the Armed Forces recovering 
from serious injuries or illnesses. 
Sec. 1673. Improvement of medical tracking system for members of the Armed 
Forces deployed overseas. 
Sec. 1674. Guaranteed funding for Walter Reed Army Medical Center, District of 
Columbia. 
Sec. 1675. Use of leave transfer program by wounded veterans who are Federal em-
ployees.
H. R. 1585—427 
Sec. 1676. Moratorium on conversion to contractor performance of Department of 
Defense functions at military medical facilities. 
SEC. 1601. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Wounded Warrior Act’’. 
SEC. 1602. GENERAL DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CONGRESS.—The term 
‘‘appropriate committees of Congress’’ means— 
(A) the Committees on Armed Services, Veterans’ 
Affairs, and Appropriations of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committees on Armed Services, Veterans’ 
Affairs, and Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives. 
(2) BENEFITS DELIVERY AT DISCHARGE PROGRAM.—The term 
‘‘Benefits Delivery at Discharge Program’’ means a program 
administered jointly by the Secretary of Defense and the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to provide information and assistance 
on available benefits and other transition assistance to mem-
bers of the Armed Forces who are separating from the Armed 
Forces, including assistance to obtain any disability benefits 
for which such members may be eligible. 
(3) DISABILITY EVALUATION SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Disability 
Evaluation System’’ means the following: 
(A) A system or process of the Department of Defense 
for evaluating the nature and extent of disabilities affecting 
members of the Armed Forces that is operated by the 
Secretaries of the military departments and is comprised 
of medical evaluation boards, physical evaluation boards, 
counseling of members, and mechanisms for the final dis-
position of disability evaluations by appropriate personnel. 
(B) A system or process of the Coast Guard for evalu-
ating the nature and extent of disabilities affecting mem-
bers of the Coast Guard that is operated by the Secretary 
of Homeland Security and is similar to the system or 
process of the Department of Defense described in subpara-
graph (A). 
(4) ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBER.—The term ‘‘eligible family 
member’’, with respect to a recovering service member, means 
a family member (as defined in section 411 h(b) of title 37, 
United States Code) who is on invitational travel orders or 
serving as a non-medical attendee while caring for the recov-
ering service member for more than 45 days during a one- 
year period. 
(5) MEDICAL
CARE.—The term ‘‘medical care’’ includes 
mental health care. 
(6) OUTPATIENT
STATUS.—The term ‘‘outpatient status’’, 
with respect to a recovering service member, means the status 
of a recovering service member assigned to— 
(A) a military medical treatment facility as an out-
patient; or 
(B) a unit established for the purpose of providing 
command and control of members of the Armed Forces 
receiving medical care as outpatients. 
(7) RECOVERING SERVICE MEMBER.—The term ‘‘recovering 
service member’’ means a member of the Armed Forces, 
including a member of the National Guard or a Reserve, who
H. R. 1585—428 
is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy and 
is in an outpatient status while recovering from a serious 
injury or illness related to the member’s military service. 
(8) 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 incurred by the member in line 
of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces that may render 
the member medically unfit to perform the duties of the mem-
ber’s office, grade, rank, or rating. 
(9) TRICARE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘TRICARE program’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 1072(7) of title 
10, United States Code. 
SEC. 1603. CONSIDERATION OF GENDER-SPECIFIC NEEDS OF RECOV-
ERING SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In developing and implementing the policy 
required by section 1611(a), and in otherwise carrying out any 
other provision of this title or any amendment made by this title, 
the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall take into account and fully address any unique gender-specific 
needs of recovering service members and veterans under such policy 
or other provision. 
(b) REPORTS.—In submitting any report required by this title 
or an amendment made by this title, the Secretary of Defense 
and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, to the extent applicable, 
include a description of the manner in which the matters covered 
by such report address the unique gender-specific needs of recov-
ering service members and veterans. 
Subtitle A—Policy on Improvements to 
Care, Management, and Transition of Re-
covering Service Members 
SEC. 1611. COMPREHENSIVE POLICY ON IMPROVEMENTS TO CARE, 
MANAGEMENT, 
AND 
TRANSITION 
OF 
RECOVERING 
SERVICE MEMBERS. 
(a) COMPREHENSIVE POLICY REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2008, the Secretary 
of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, to the 
extent feasible, jointly develop and implement a comprehensive 
policy on improvements to the care, management, and transi-
tion of recovering service members. 
(2) SCOPE OF POLICY.—The policy shall cover each of the 
following: 
(A) The care and management of recovering service 
members. 
(B) The medical evaluation and disability evaluation 
of recovering service members. 
(C) The return of service members who have recovered 
to active duty when appropriate. 
(D) The transition of recovering service members from 
receipt of care and services through the Department of 
Defense to receipt of care and services through the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs.