[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5831 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5831

To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to 
  provide injured members of the Armed Forces information concerning 
                               benefits.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 17, 2008

 Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to 
  provide injured members of the Armed Forces information concerning 
                               benefits.

    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 ``Separating Servicemember Handbook 
Development Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVIDING INJURED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES INFORMATION 
              CONCERNING BENEFITS.

    Section 1651 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181; 122 Stat. 476; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is 
amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 1651. HANDBOOK FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES ON COMPENSATION 
              AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE FOR SERIOUS INJURIES AND 
              ILLNESSES.

    ``(a) Information on Available Compensation and Benefits.--Not 
later than October 1, 2008, the Secretary of Defense shall develop and 
maintain, in a handbook and on a publically-available Internet website, 
a comprehensive description of the compensation and other benefits to 
which a member of the Armed Forces, and the family of such member, 
would be entitled upon the separation or retirement of the member from 
the Armed Forces as a result of a serious injury or illness.
    ``(b) Contents.--The handbook and Internet website shall include 
the following:
            ``(1) The range of compensation and benefits based on 
        grade, length of service, degree of disability at separation or 
        retirement, and other factors affecting compensation and 
        benefits as the Secretary considers appropriate.
            ``(2) Information concerning the Disability Evaluation 
        System of each military department, including--
                    ``(A) an explanation of the process of the 
                Disability Evaluation System;
                    ``(B) a general timeline of the process of the 
                Disability Evaluation System;
                    ``(C) the role and responsibilities of the military 
                department throughout the process of the Disability 
                Evaluation System; and
                    ``(D) the role and responsibilities of a member of 
                the Armed Forces throughout the process of the 
                Disability Evaluation System.
            ``(3) Benefits administered by the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs that a member of the Armed Forces would be entitled 
        upon the separation or retirement from the Armed Forces as a 
        result of a serious injury or illness.
            ``(4) The 20 most common serious injuries or illnesses that 
        result in a member of the Armed Forces separating or retiring 
        from the Armed Forces, and the benefits associated with each 
        injury or illness.
            ``(5) A list of State veterans service organizations and 
        nonprofit veterans service organizations, and their contact 
        information and Internet website addresses.
    ``(c) Consultation.--The Secretary of Defense shall develop and 
maintain the comprehensive description required by subsection (a) in 
consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, and the Commissioner of Social Security.
    ``(d) Update.--The Secretary of Defense shall update the 
comprehensive description required by subsection (a) on a periodic 
basis, but not less often than annually.
    ``(e) Provision to Members.--The Secretary of the military 
department concerned shall provide the handbook to each member of the 
Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of that Secretary as soon as 
practicable following an injury or illness for which the member may 
retire or separate from the Armed Forces.
    ``(f) Provision to Representatives.--If a member is incapacitated 
or otherwise unable to receive the handbook, the handbook shall be 
provided to the next of kin or a legal representative of the member, as 
determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary 
of the military department concerned for purposes of this section.''.
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