I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6489 
To improve military family readiness. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2020 
Mr. THORNBERRY (for himself and Mr. KELLY of Mississippi) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To improve military family readiness. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FAMILY READINESS: DEFINITIONS; COMMU-
NICATION STRATEGY; REPORT. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Not later than six months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of the mili-
tary departments, shall define the terms ‘‘military family 
readiness’’ and ‘‘military family resiliency’’. 
(b) COMMUNICATION STRATEGY.—Not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of 
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the military departments, shall establish and implement 
a strategy regarding communication with military fami-
lies. The strategy shall include the following: 
(1) The use of a variety of modes of commu-
nication to ensure the broadest means of commu-
nicating with military families. 
(2) Updating an existing annual standardized 
survey that assesses military family readiness to ad-
dress the following issues: 
(A) Communication with beneficiaries. 
(B) Child care. 
(C) Education. 
(D) Spousal employment. 
(E) The Exceptional Family Member Pro-
gram. 
(F) Financial literacy. 
(G) Financial stress. 
(H) Health care (including copayments, 
network adequacy, and the availability of ap-
pointments with health care providers). 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen-
ate and the House of Representatives a report regarding 
the feasibility of implementing the recommendations in— 
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(1) chapter 3 of the report of the Inspector 
General of the Department of Defense for fiscal year 
2020, ‘‘Ensuring Wellness and Wellbeing of Service- 
Members and their Families’’; and 
(2) the report, dated July 2019, of the National 
Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, ti-
tled ‘‘Strengthening the Military Family Readiness 
System for a Changing American Society’’. 
SEC. 2. STANDARDIZATION OF THE EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY 
MEMBER PROGRAM. 
(a) POLICY.—Not later than six months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De-
fense, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military 
departments, shall, to the extent practicable, standardize 
the Exceptional Family Member Program (in this section 
referred to as the ‘‘EFMP’’) across the military depart-
ments. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The EFMP, standardized under 
subsection (a), shall include the following: 
(1) Processes for the identification and enroll-
ment of dependents of covered members with special 
needs. 
(2) A process for the permanent change of or-
ders for covered members, to ensure seamless con-
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tinuity of services at the new permanent duty sta-
tion. 
(3) A review process for installations to ensure 
that health care furnished through the TRICARE 
program, special needs education programs, and in-
stallation-based family support programs are avail-
able to military families enrolled in the EFMP. 
(4) A standardized respite care benefit across 
the covered Armed Forces, including the number of 
hours available under such benefit to military fami-
lies enrolled in the EFMP. 
(5) Outcomes and metrics to evaluate the 
EFMP. 
(6) A requirement that the Secretary of each 
military department provide a dedicated EFMP at-
torney, who specializes in education law, at each 
military installation— 
(A) the Secretary determines is a primary 
receiving installation for military families with 
special needs; and 
(B) in a State that the Secretary deter-
mines has historically not supported families 
enrolled in the EFMP. 
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(7) The option for a family enrolled in the 
EFMP to continue to receive all services under that 
program and the bachelor allowance for housing if— 
(A) the covered member receives a new 
permanent duty station; and 
(B) the covered member and family elect 
for the family not to relocate with the covered 
member. 
(8) A process to discuss policy challenges and 
opportunities, best practices adopted across the cov-
ered Armed Forces, a forum period for discussion 
with members of military families with special needs, 
and other matters the Secretary of Defense deter-
mines appropriate. 
(c) CASE MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary of Defense, 
in coordination with the Secretaries of the military depart-
ments, shall develop an EFMP case management model, 
including the following: 
(1) A single EFMP office, located at the head-
quarters of each covered Armed Force, to oversee 
implementation of the EFMP and coordinate health 
care services, permanent change of station order 
processing, and educational support services for that 
covered Armed Force. 
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(2) An EFMP office at each military installa-
tion with case managers to assist each family of a 
covered member in the development of a plan that 
addresses the areas specified in subsection (b)(1). 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen-
ate and the House of Representatives a report on the im-
plementation of the items identified under subsections (a), 
(b), and (c), including any recommendations of the Sec-
retary regarding legislation. 
(e) GAO REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Represent-
atives a report on— 
(1) whether military families have higher rates 
of disputes and loss of free and appropriate public 
education under section 504 of the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973 (Public Law 93–112; 29 U.S.C. 794) 
than civilian counterparts; and 
(2) an analysis of the number of due process 
hearings that were filed by school districts against 
children of members of the Armed Forces. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) The term ‘‘covered Armed Force’’ means an 
Armed Force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary 
of a military department. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered member’’ means a mem-
ber— 
(A) of a covered Armed Force; and 
(B) with a dependent with special needs. 
SEC. 3. CHILD CARE. 
(a) 24-HOUR CHILD CARE.—If the Secretary of De-
fense determines it feasible, the Secretary shall furnish 
child care to each child of a member of the Armed Forces 
or employee of the Department of Defense while that 
member or employee works on rotating shifts at a military 
installation. 
(b) METRICS.—Not later than six months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall develop and implement metrics to evaluate the effec-
tiveness of the child care priority system of the Depart-
ment of Defense, including— 
(1) the speed of placement for children of mem-
bers of the Armed Forces on active duty; 
(2) the type of child care offered; 
(3) available spaces in such system, if any; and 
(4) other metrics to monitor the child care pri-
ority system determined by the Secretary. 
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(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen-
ate and the House of Representatives a report regarding 
the results of a study that evaluates— 
(1) the sufficiency of the stipend furnished by 
the Secretary to members of the Armed Forces re-
ceived for civilian child care; and 
(2) whether the amount of such stipend should 
be based on— 
(A) cost of living in the applicable locale; 
and 
(B) the capacity of licensed civilian child 
care providers in the local market. 
SEC. 4. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF 
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION 
ACTIVITY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Defense shall conduct 
a study on the performance of the Department of Defense 
Education Activity. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The study under subsection (a) 
shall include the following: 
(1) A review of the curriculum relating to 
health, resiliency, and nutrition taught in schools op-
erated by the Department of Defense Education Ac-
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tivity and a comparison of such curriculum to appro-
priate education benchmarks. 
(2) An analysis of the outcomes experienced by 
students in such schools, as measured by— 
(A) the performance of such students on 
the 
National 
Assessment 
of 
Educational 
Progress carried out under section 303(b)(3) of 
the 
National 
Assessment 
of 
Educational 
Progress 
Authorization 
Act 
(20 
U.S.C. 
9622(b)(3)); and 
(B) any other methodologies used by the 
Department of Defense Education Activity to 
measure individual student outcomes. 
(3) An assessment of the effectiveness of the 
School Liaison Officer program of the Department 
of Defense Education Activity in achieving the goals 
of the program with an emphasis on goals relating 
to special education and family outreach. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen-
ate and the House of Representatives a report that in-
cludes the findings of the study conducted under sub-
section (a). 
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SEC. 5. REPORT ON AUTISM TREATMENTS PROVIDED 
UNDER TRICARE PROGRAM. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than one year 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 assess-
ing the effectiveness of autism treatment methodologies 
under the TRICARE program and the prevalence of au-
tism among dependents of members of the Armed Forces. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report under subsection (a) 
shall include the following: 
(1) An assessment of the effectiveness of ap-
plied behavioral analysis and other autism treatment 
methodologies covered under the TRICARE pro-
gram, including an independent assessment con-
ducted by an academic institution or other similar 
nongovernmental entity of the Pervasive Develop-
mental Disorder Behavior Inventory as a basis for 
drawing conclusions regarding such treatment. 
(2) A descriptive analysis of copayment and 
other out-of-pocket expenses for covered beneficiaries 
who receive benefits under the Department of De-
fense Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration 
program. 
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(3) A comparison of rates of autism among de-
pendents of members of the Armed Forces and such 
rates among the civilian population. 
(c) TRICARE PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘TRICARE program’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code. 
SEC. 6. REPORT ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH STAFFING 
NEEDS. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment 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 that— 
(1) contains specific information on the amount 
of funding needed to hire and retain behavioral 
health professionals to treat members of the Armed 
Forces and covered beneficiaries (as defined in sec-
tion 1072 of title 10, United States Code); 
(2) identifies the number and types of military, 
civilian, direct contract, and managed care support 
contract behavioral health professionals required to 
treat such individuals; and 
(3) contains a plan to provide behavioral health 
treatment to such individuals using telehealth serv-
ices and other technologies, including any rec-
ommendations of the Secretary regarding legislation. 
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SEC. 7. POLICY TO ADDRESS OPIOID PRESCRIPTION ABUSE 
PREVENTION. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Defense shall 
develop a policy and tracking mechanism for opioids that 
monitors and prohibits the over prescribing of opioids to 
ensure compliance with clinical practice guidelines. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The requirements under subsection 
(a) shall include the following: 
(1) Limit the prescribing of opioids to the mor-
phine milligram equivalent level per day specified in 
the guideline published by the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention titled ‘‘CDC Guideline for 
Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain—United 
States, 2016’’, or such successor guideline. 
(2) Limit the supply of opioids to within clini-
cally accepted guidelines. 
(3) Develop a waiver process for specific patient 
categories that will require treatment beyond the 
limit specified in paragraph (1). 
(4) Implement controls to ensure that the pre-
scriptions in the military health system data reposi-
tory exist and that the dispense date and the metric 
quantity field for opioid prescriptions in liquid form 
are consistent among all systems. 
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(5) Implement opioid prescribing controls with-
in the electronic health record system known as 
‘‘Genesis’’. 
(6) Develop metrics that can be used by the 
Defense Health Agency and each military medical 
treatment facility to actively monitor and limit the 
over prescribing of opioids. 
(7) Develop a report that tracks progression to-
ward reduced levels of opioid use. 
SEC. 8. SPOUSAL EMPLOYMENT PILOT PROGRAM WITH THE 
DEFENSE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SE-
CURITY AGENCY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary of Personnel 
and Readiness, in coordination with the Under Secretary 
of Defense for Intelligence and Security, shall conduct a 
pilot program with the Defense Counterintelligence and 
Security Agency to recruit military spouses into a paid in-
ternship pilot program that includes specific training and 
on-the-job training designed to prepare the spouse for a 
position within the national security field, including the 
Federal Government and cleared industry. 
(b) DURATION.—The Under Secretary of Personnel 
and Readiness shall conduct the pilot program for a period 
not to exceed three years. 
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(c) SECURITY TRAINING.—The pilot program under 
this section shall permit military spouses the opportunity 
to gain experience in a variety of areas, including security 
clearance background investigations and personnel vet-
ting, industrial security and critical technology protection, 
and counterintelligence analysis. 
(d) REPORTS.— 
(1) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of the Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives a report on the status of the pilot pro-
gram that shall include the following: 
(A) Number of spouses that entered the 
pilot program. 
(B) Metrics to be used to measure the ef-
fectiveness of the pilot program. 
(C) A description of the employment posi-
tions that spouses entered into after the pilot 
program. 
(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the end of the pilot program, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to the congressional commit-
tees specified in paragraph (1) a final report on the 
pilot program that shall include the following: 
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(A) Number of spouses that completed the 
pilot program. 
(B) An evaluation of the pilot program 
using the metrics of assessment set forth pursu-
ant to paragraph (1)(B). 
(C) A description of the employment posi-
tions that spouses entered into following the 
pilot program. 
Æ 
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