[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5203 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5203

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a center of excellence 
           for the study of tinnitus, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2010

 Mr. Cole (for himself and Mr. Teague) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a center of excellence 
           for the study of tinnitus, 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 ``Tinnitus Research for Military 
Health Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Tinnitus, or the perception of sound where no external 
        source of such sound exists, is the most prevalent disabling 
        condition that affects members of the Armed Forces, most 
        notably those members who have been exposed to blast injuries 
        during combat, or other high noise level situations.
            (2) Tinnitus is the leading service-connected disability 
        for returning members of the Armed Forces and the prevalence of 
        tinnitus is continuing to increase at alarming rates.
            (3) An otologic, or ear, injury such as tinnitus has been 
        shown to decrease performance and situational awareness during 
        combat, seriously compromising the ability of a member of the 
        Armed Forces to hear and execute commands properly, thereby 
        jeopardizing not only the affected member but other members as 
        well.
            (4) While certain types of sensory impairment in combat or 
        other military activities may be readily apparent, otologic 
        injuries such as tinnitus may not be easily noticeable, which 
        necessitates the need for more rigorous screening for tinnitus 
        before and after deployment, and for additional research to 
        distinguish tinnitus from other forms of brain injury incurred 
        during combat.
            (5) Medical evidence to date suggests a demonstrated link 
        between tinnitus and post-traumatic stress disorder and 
        traumatic brain injury, such that improved understanding of 
        treatment of tinnitus may also directly advance research 
        efforts to address post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic 
        brain injury.
            (6) Improving the treatment and prevention of tinnitus will 
        benefit all members of the Armed Forces who are increasingly at 
        risk of injury from high-decibel equipment or explosive 
        devices.

SEC. 3. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE STUDY OF TINNITUS.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish 
        one or more Centers of Excellence (in this section referred to 
        as a ``center'') for the study of tinnitus.
            (2) Location.--The Secretary shall establish a center at a 
        military installation in the United States where members of the 
        Armed Forces perform activities involving high rates of sound, 
        including artillery instruction and other basic combat training 
        related activities.
    (b) Responsibilities.--A center shall have the responsibilities as 
follows:
            (1) To study and enhance existing treatment modalities for 
        members of the Armed Forces with tinnitus, including diagnosed 
        cases of recurrent, chronic, or severe tinnitus.
            (2) To conduct basic and clinical research to prevent, 
        treat, and cure tinnitus, including studies on the neurological 
        changes in the brain associated with tinnitus.
            (3) To coordinate research activities with the Defense 
        Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic 
        Brain Injury in order to establish a tinnitus data registry for 
        members of the Armed Forces affected with tinnitus and other 
        neurological conditions that will enhance scientific progress 
        toward improvements in treatment for tinnitus and associated 
        neurological combat related conditions.
    (c) Reports.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the activities of the 
center.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $7,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2011 through 2016.

SEC. 4. AURAL SCREENINGS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph (2) of section 1074f(b) of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
            ``(D) An aural screening, including an assessment of 
        tinnitus.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Section 1074f(b)(2) of title 10, United States 
Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section, shall apply to 
members of the Armed Forces who are deployed or return from deployment 
on or after the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE TINNITUS RESEARCH.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations 
provided for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
program to award grants to institutions to assist such institutions in 
conducting research on recurrent, chronic, or severe tinnitus and 
peripheral neurological conditions, including research related to 
neurology, pharmacology, audiology, otolaryngology, and other 
disciplines that the Secretary determines appropriate according to 
newly discovered evidence-based findings.
    (b) Eligibility.--
            (1) Teaching program.--An institution eligible to receive a 
        grant under this section is--
                    (A) a hospital with a teaching program described in 
                section 1861(b)(6) of the Social Security Act (42 
                U.S.C. 1395x); or
                    (B) an educational institution with demonstrated 
                expertise in tinnitus research.
            (2) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, an institution shall submit an application to the 
        Secretary of Defense at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may require. The 
        Secretary shall ensure that such applications are peer-reviewed 
        by multidisciplinary tinnitus experts from both the public and 
        private sector.
    (c) Grant Amount.--An institution awarded a grant under this 
section may not receive more than $2,500,000 per fiscal year under this 
section.
    (d) Reports.--Not later than December 31 of each year a grant may 
be awarded under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
Congress a report on the grant program, including a summary of the 
research related to tinnitus conducted by each grant recipient.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2011 through 2016.

SEC. 6. IMPROVING AURAL PROTECTION FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall examine methods to 
improve the aural protection for members of the Armed Forces in combat.
    (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
on the methods to improve aural protection examined under subsection 
(a).

SEC. 7. EXECUTIVE AGENT FOR TINNITUS.

    (a) Executive Agent.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall designate a 
senior official of the Department of Defense to act as the executive 
agent for tinnitus.
    (b) Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and in accordance with Directive 
        5101.1, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe the roles, 
        responsibilities, and authorities of the executive agent 
        designated under subsection (a).
            (2) Specification.--The roles and responsibilities of the 
        executive agent designated under subsection (a) shall include 
        coordinating common functions related to tinnitus among the 
        military departments.
    (c) Support.--In accordance with Directive 5101.1, the Secretary of 
Defense shall ensure that the military departments, Defense Agencies, 
and other components of the Department of Defense provide the executive 
agent designated under subsection (a) with the appropriate support and 
resources needed to perform the roles, responsibilities, and 
authorities of the executive agent.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Directive 5101.1'' means Department of 
        Defense Directive 5101.1, or any successor directive relating 
        to the responsibilities of an executive agent of the Department 
        of Defense.
            (2) The term ``executive agent'' has the meaning given the 
        term ``DoD Executive Agent'' in Directive 5101.1.
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