[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1999 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1999

     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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2007

    Mr. Kerry (for himself, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Domenici, and Mr. Obama) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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. 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 Department 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 eye injury incurred by a member of 
        the armed forces in combat that requires surgery or other 
        operative intervention; and
            ``(B) ensure the electronic exchange with Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs of information obtained through tracking under 
        subparagraph (A).
    ``(2) The registry under this subsection shall be known as the 
`Military Eye Injury Registry'.
    ``(3) The Center shall develop the Registry in consultation with 
the ophthalmological specialist personnel and optometric specialist 
personnel of the Department of Defense. 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 72 hours after surgery or other 
        operative intervention.
            ``(B) Any clinical or other operative intervention done 
        within 30 days, 60 days, or 120 days after surgery or other 
        operative intervention as a result of a follow-up examination.
            ``(C) Not later than 180 days after surgery or other 
        operative intervention.
    ``(5)(A) The Center shall provide notice to the Blind Service or 
Low Vision Optometry Service, as applicable, of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs on each member of the armed forces described in 
subparagraph (B) for purposes of ensuring the coordination of the 
provision of 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 an eye injury incurred in combat who 
        has a visual acuity of \20/200\ or less in either eye.
            ``(ii) A member with an eye injury incurred in combat who 
        has a loss of peripheral vision of twenty degrees or less.
    ``(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 in combat in Operation 
Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom 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 study on neuro-
optometric screening and diagnosis of members of the Armed Forces 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 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).
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