[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3558 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3558

     To provide for the establishment of a Center of Excellence in 
  Prevention, Diagnosis, Mitigation, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of 
             Military Eye Injuries, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2007

  Mr. Boozman (for himself, Mr. Hall of New York, Mrs. Wilson of New 
 Mexico, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, 
  Mr. Filner, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
 Brady of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Berry) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide for the establishment of a Center of Excellence in 
  Prevention, Diagnosis, Mitigation, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of 
             Military Eye Injuries, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Military Eye Trauma Treatment Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, MITIGATION, 
              TREATMENT, AND REHABILITATION OF MILITARY EYE INJURIES.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 55 of title 10, United States 
        Code, is amended by inserting after section 1105 the following 
        new section:
``Sec. 1105a. Center of Excellence in Prevention, Diagnosis, 
              Mitigation, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Military Eye 
              Injuries
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish within 
the Department of Defense a center of excellence in the prevention, 
diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of military eye 
injuries to carry out the responsibilities specified in subsection (c). 
The center shall be known as a `Center of Excellence in Prevention, 
Diagnosis, Mitigation, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Military Eye 
Injuries'.
    ``(b) Partnerships.--The Secretary shall ensure that the Center 
collaborates to the maximum extent practicable with the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, institutions of higher education, and other 
appropriate public and private entities (including international 
entities) to carry out the responsibilities specified in subsection 
(c).
    ``(c) Responsibilities.--(1) The Center shall--
            ``(A) develop, implement, and oversee a registry of 
        information for the tracking of the diagnosis, surgical 
        intervention or other operative procedure, other treatment, and 
        follow up for each case of significant eye injury incurred by a 
        member of the armed forces while serving on active duty;
            ``(B) ensure the electronic exchange with the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs of information obtained through tracking under 
        subparagraph (A); and
            ``(C) enable the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to access 
        the registry and add information pertaining to additional 
        treatments or surgical procedures and eventual visual outcomes 
        for veterans who were entered into the registry and 
        subsequently received treatment through the Veterans Health 
        Administration.
    ``(2) The registry under this subsection shall be known as the 
`Military Eye Injury Registry' (hereinafter referred to as the 
`Registry').
    ``(3) The Center shall develop the Registry in consultation with 
the ophthalmological specialist personnel and optometric specialist 
personnel of the Department of Defense and the ophthalmological 
specialist personnel and optometric specialist personnel of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. The mechanisms and procedures of the 
Registry shall reflect applicable expert research on military and other 
eye injuries.
    ``(4) The mechanisms of the Registry for tracking under paragraph 
(1)(A) shall ensure that each military medical treatment facility or 
other medical facility shall submit to the Center for inclusion in the 
Registry information on the diagnosis, surgical intervention or other 
operative procedure, other treatment, and follow up for each case of 
eye injury described in that paragraph as follows (to the extent 
applicable):
            ``(A) Not later than 30 days after surgery or other 
        operative intervention, including a surgery or other operative 
        intervention carried out as a result of a follow-up 
        examination.
            ``(B) Not later than 180 days after the significant eye 
        injury is reported or recorded in the medical record.
    ``(5)(A) The Center shall provide notice to the Blind 
Rehabilitation Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs and to the 
eye care services of the Veterans Health Administration on each member 
of the armed forces described in subparagraph (B) for purposes of 
ensuring the coordination of the provision of ongoing eye care and 
visual rehabilitation benefits and services by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs after the separation or release of such member from 
the armed forces.
    ``(B) A member of the armed forces described in this subparagraph 
is a member of the armed forces as follows:
            ``(i) A member with a significant eye injury incurred while 
        serving on active duty, including a member with visual 
        dysfunction related to traumatic brain injury.
            ``(ii) A member with an eye injury incurred while serving 
        on active duty who has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the 
        injured eye.
            ``(iii) A member with an eye injury incurred while serving 
        on active duty who has a loss of peripheral vision resulting in 
        twenty degrees or less of visual field in the injured eye.
    ``(d) Utilization of Registry Information.--The Secretary of 
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly ensure that 
information in the Military Eye Injury Registry is available to 
appropriate ophthalmological and optometric personnel of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs for purposes of encouraging and facilitating the 
conduct of research, and the development of best practices and clinical 
education, on eye injuries incurred by members of the armed forces in 
combat.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 55 of such title is amended by inserting 
        after the item relating to section 1105 the following new item:

``1105a. Center of Excellence in Prevention, Diagnosis, Mitigation, 
                            Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Military 
                            Eye Injuries.''.
    (b) Inclusion of Records of OIF/OEF Veterans.--The Secretary of 
Defense shall take appropriate actions to include in the Military Eye 
Injury Registry established under section 1105a of title 10, United 
States Code (as added by subsection (a)), such records of members of 
the Armed Forces who incurred an eye injury while serving on active 
duty on or after September 11, 2001, but before the establishment of 
the Registry, as the Secretary considers appropriate for purposes of 
the Registry.
    (c) Report on Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report on the status of the Center of Excellence in 
Prevention, Diagnosis, Mitigation, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of 
Military Eye Injuries under section 1105a of title 10, United States 
Code (as so added), including the progress made in establishing the 
Military Eye Injury Registry required under that section.
    (d) Traumatic Brain Injury Post Traumatic Visual Syndrome.--In 
carrying out the program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, District 
of Columbia, on Traumatic Brain Injury Post Traumatic Visual Syndrome, 
the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs shall 
jointly provide for the conduct of a cooperative program for members of 
the Armed Forces and veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury by military 
medical treatment facilities of the Department of Defense and medical 
centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs selected for purposes of 
this subsection for purposes of vision screening, diagnosis, 
rehabilitative management, and vision research, including research on 
prevention, on visual dysfunction related to Traumatic Brain Injury.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is hereby authorized to 
be appropriated for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2008 for 
Defense Health Program, $5,000,000 for the Center of Excellence in 
Prevention, Diagnosis, Mitigation, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of 
Military Eye Injuries under section 1105a of title 10, United States 
Code (as so added).
                                 <all>