[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1580 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1580

        To create a Department of Defense-wide Ombudsman Office.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2007

Mr. Bilirakis (for himself, Mr. Buchanan, and Mr. Shays) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
        To create a Department of Defense-wide Ombudsman Office.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wounded Warriors Joint Health Care 
Ombudsman Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE-WIDE OMBUDSMAN OFFICE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
Department of Defense-wide Ombudsman Office (in this Act referred to as 
the ``Ombudsman Office'') and assign the responsibility for overseeing 
the Office to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
    (b) Functions.--The functions of the Ombudsman Office are to 
provide assistance to and answer questions from medical holdover 
patients and their families regarding--
            (1) administrative processes, financial matters, and non-
        military related services available to the patients and their 
        families throughout the patient's evaluation, treatment, and 
        recovery;
            (2) transfer to the care of the Veterans Administration; 
        and
            (3) support services available upon the patient's return 
        home.
    (c) Additional Requirements.--
            (1) Accountability standards.--The Ombudsman Office shall--
                    (A) create and maintain case files for individual 
                specific questions received, and initiate inquiries and 
                track responses for all such questions;
                    (B) set standards for timeliness of responses; and
                    (C) set standards for accountability to medical 
                holdover patients and their families, including 
                requirements for daily updates to patients and family 
                members about steps being taken to alleviate problems 
                and concerns until problems are addressed.
            (2) Toll-free phone numbers.--The Ombudsman shall establish 
        and maintain toll-free telephone assistance phone numbers as 
        follows:
                    (A) One number shall be available for medical 
                holdover patients and their families and shall operate 
                8 hours a day and 7 days a week.
                    (B) One number shall be available for medical 
                emergency questions 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
            (3) Status reports.--The Ombudsman Office shall submit 
        weekly status reports of actions taken to address individual 
        concerns to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of each 
        military department, and the inspector general of each military 
        department. The Office shall also report to the commander or 
        director of the office or facility with responsibility for the 
        patients covered by the status report.
    (d) Responses From Other Offices.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
ensure that all other offices within the Department of Defense and the 
military departments respond in a timely manner to resolve questions 
and requests from the Ombudsman Office on behalf of medical holdover 
patients and their families, including offices responsible for medical 
matters (including medical holdover processes), financial and 
accounting matters, legal matters, human resources matters, reserve 
component matters, installation and management matters, and physical 
disability matters.
    (e) Briefings.--The head of the Ombudsman Office shall conduct 
briefings of senior leadership in the military departments on all 
medical holdover trends, issues, and problems in person on a monthly 
basis.
    (f) Congressional Inquiries.--The Ombudsman Office shall be 
responsible for handling, and for setting standards regarding the 
handling of, all inquiries from Congress regarding medical holdover 
patients and other medical questions related to the Armed Forces. The 
Ombudsman Office may report about congressional inquiries to the 
congressional liaison headquarters of each military department.
    (g) Staff of the Office.--
            (1) Head.--The Ombudsman Office should be headed by a 
        general or flag officer.
            (2) Staff.--The Ombudsman Office shall be staffed by 
        personnel from offices of the Surgeon General of each military 
        department and also shall include representatives from each 
        military department with responsibility for a part of patient 
        processing and representatives from reserve components. 
        Personnel in the Ombudsman office should--
                    (A) be highly trained in their office and command 
                processes;
                    (B) be given standardized and updated information 
                on all military retention facility personnel charged 
                with on-location assistance; and
                    (C) in the case of military personnel, be assigned 
                to the Office for a period of at least 3 years, and in 
                the case of civilian personnel, be assigned to the 
                Office permanently if practicable.
            (3) Training and testing.--Ombudsman personnel should be 
        tested and evaluated on a standardized basis. Ombudsman 
        personnel should be also trained to deal with members of the 
        Armed Forces with post-traumatic stress disorder and other 
        brain injuries.
    (h) Medical Holdover Patient.--In this Act, the term ``medical 
holdover patient'' means a member of the Armed Forces, including a 
member of the National Guard or other reserve component, who is 
undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise 
in medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, or disease 
incurred or aggravated while on active duty in the Armed Forces.
    (I) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $1,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
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