108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3751 
AN ACT 
To require that the Office of Personnel Manage-
ment study current practices under which dental, 
vision, and hearing benefits are made available to 
Federal employees, annuitants, and other classes 
of individuals, and to require that the Office also 
present options and recommendations relating to 
how additional dental, vision, and hearing bene-
fits could be made so available.
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3751 
AN ACT 
To require that the Office of Personnel Management study 
current practices under which dental, vision, and hearing 
benefits are made available to Federal employees, annu-
itants, and other classes of individuals, and to require 
that the Office also present options and recommendations 
relating to how additional dental, vision, and hearing 
benefits could be made so available.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. REPORTING REQUIREMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Office of Personnel 
Management shall submit to Congress a report describing 
and evaluating options whereby additional dental, vision, 
and hearing benefits could be made available to— 
(1) Federal employees and annuitants; 
(2) qualified relatives of Federal employees and 
annuitants; and 
(3) other appropriate classes of individuals. 
(b) REQUIRED
CONTENT.—The report shall in-
clude— 
(1) a description of the dental, vision, and hear-
ing benefits currently available under the Federal 
employees health benefits program; 
(2) a description of the supplemental dental, vi-
sion, and hearing plans currently offered by carriers 
participating in the Federal employees health bene-
fits program; 
(3) a description of specific dental, vision, and 
hearing benefits that could be offered in addition to 
those described in paragraphs (1) and (2), including
any maximums, limitations, exclusions, and defini-
tions that might be relevant; 
(4) a description of the specific classes of indi-
viduals (as referred to generally in paragraphs (1) 
through (3) of subsection (a)) to whom those addi-
tional benefits should be made available, including 
any definitions and other terms or conditions that 
might be relevant; 
(5) a description and assessment of the various 
contracting arrangements by which the Government 
could make those additional benefits available, in-
cluding whether such benefits should be contracted 
for on a regional or national basis; 
(6) the estimated cost of those additional bene-
fits, including an analysis relating to whether any 
regular Government contributions or allocation for 
start-up costs might be necessary or appropriate; 
(7) a description of how those additional bene-
fits could be made available through— 
(A) the Federal employees health benefits 
program; 
(B) one or more plans outside the Federal 
employees health benefits program, including 
supplemental plans referred to in paragraph 
(2);
(C) the program described in subpara-
graph (A) in combination with one or more of 
the plans described in subparagraph (B); and 
(D) any other dental, vision, and hearing 
coverage delivery method; 
(8) an analysis of the advantages and disadvan-
tages associated with the alternatives described 
under paragraph (7), including— 
(A) the relative cost-effectiveness and effi-
ciency of each; 
(B) the likely impact of each alternative on 
the overall attractiveness of the Federal employ-
ees health benefits program to individuals eligi-
ble to enroll, particularly Federal employees 
and annuitants; and 
(C) the extent to which each alternative 
might affect the relative competitiveness of the 
various carriers and plans currently partici-
pating in the Federal employees health benefits 
program (including as a provider of supple-
mental benefits); 
(9) a recommendation from the Office as to its 
preferred method or methods for providing those ad-
ditional benefits; and
(10) any proposed legislation or other measures 
the Office considers necessary in order to implement 
any of the foregoing. 
(c) SCREENING FOR GLAUCOMA.—For purposes of 
this Act, the term ‘‘vision benefits’’ includes benefits relat-
ing to screening for glaucoma. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 21, 2004. 
Attest: 
Clerk.