DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TASK FORCE ON THE CARE, MANAGEMENT, AND TRANSITION OF RECOVERING WOUNDED, ILL, AND INJURED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

SEC. 724. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TASK FORCE ON THE CARE, MANAGEMENT, AND TRANSITION OF RECOVERING WOUNDED, ILL, AND INJURED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.(a) Establishment.—(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish within the Department of Defense a task force to be known as the “Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces” (in this section referred to as the “Task Force”).(2) Purpose.—The purpose of the Task Force shall be to assess the effectiveness of the policies and programs developed and implemented by the Department of Defense, and 123 STAT. 2390 by each of the military departments, to assist and support the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces, and to make recommendations for the continuous improvement of such policies and programs.(3) Relation to senior oversight committee.—The Secretary shall ensure that the Task Force is independent of the Senior Oversight Committee (as defined in section 726(c) of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 4509)).(b) Composition.—(1) Members.—The Task Force shall consist of not more than 14 members, appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among the individuals as described in paragraph (2).(2) Covered individuals.—The individuals appointed to the Task Force shall include the following:(A) At least one member of each of the regular components of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marine Corps.(B) One member of the National Guard.(C) One member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces other than National Guard.(D) A number of persons from outside the Department of Defense equal to the total number of personnel from within the Department of Defense (whether members of the Armed Forces or civilian personnel) who are appointed to the Task Force.(E) Persons who have experience in—(i) medical care and coordination for wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces;(ii) medical case management;(iii) non-medical case management;(iv) the disability evaluation process for members of the Armed Forces;(v) veterans benefits;(vi) treatment of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder;(vii) family support;(viii) medical research;(ix) vocational rehabilitation; or(x) disability benefits.(F) At least one family member of a wounded, ill, or injured member of the Armed Forces or veteran who has experience working with wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces or their families.(3) Individuals appointed from within department of defense.—At least one of the individuals appointed to the Task Force from within the Department of Defense shall be the surgeon general of an Armed Force.(4) Individuals appointed from outside department of defense.—The individuals appointed to the Task Force from outside the Department of Defense—(A) with the concurrence of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall include an officer or employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and123 STAT. 2391(B) may include individuals from other departments or agencies of the Federal Government, from State and local agencies, or from the private sector.(5) Deadline for appointments.—All original appointments to the Task Force shall be made not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.(6) Co-chairs.—There shall be two co-chairs of the Task Force. One of the co-chairs shall be designated by the Secretary of Defense at the time of appointment from among the individuals appointed to the Task Force from within the Department of Defense. The other co-chair shall be selected from among the individuals appointed from outside the Department of Defense by those individuals.(c) Annual Report.—(1) In general.—Not later than 12 months after the date on which all members of the Task Force have been appointed, and each year thereafter for the life of the Task Force, the Task Force shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report on the activities of the Task Force and the activities of the Department of Defense and the military departments to assist and support the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces. The report shall include the following:(A) The findings and conclusions of the Task Force as a result of its assessment of the effectiveness of the policies and programs developed and implemented by the Department of Defense, and by each of the military departments, to assist and support the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces.(B) A description of best practices and various ways in which the Department of Defense and the military departments could more effectively address matters relating to the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces, including members of the regular components, and members of the reserve components, and support for their families.(C) A plan for the activities of the Task Force in the year following the year covered by the report.(D) Such recommendations for other legislative or administrative action as the Task Force considers appropriate for measures to improve the policies and programs described in subparagraph (A).(2) Methodology.—For purposes of the reports, the Task Force—(A) shall conduct site visits and interviews as the Task Force considers appropriate;(B) may consider the findings and recommendations of previous reviews and evaluations of the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces; and(C) may use such other means for directly obtaining information relating to the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces as the Task Force considers appropriate.123 STAT. 2392(3) Matters to be reviewed and assessed.—For purposes of the reports, the Task Force shall review and assess the following:(A) Case management, including the numbers and types of medical and non-medical case managers (including Federal Recovery Coordinators, Recovery Care Coordinators, National Guard or Reserve case managers, and other case managers) assigned to recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces, the training provided such case mangers, and the effectiveness of such case mangers in providing care and support to recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces.(B) Staffing of Army Warrior Transition Units, Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiments, Navy and Air Force Medical Hold or Medical Holdover Units, and other service-related programs or units for recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces, including the use of applicable hiring authorities to ensure the proper staffing of such programs and units.(C) The establishment and effectiveness of performance and accountability standards for warrior transition units and programs.(D) The availability of services for traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder.(E) The establishment and effectiveness of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and the centers of excellence for military eye injuries, hearing loss and auditory system injuries, and traumatic extremity injuries and amputations.(F) The effectiveness of the Interagency Program Office in achieving fully interoperable electronic health records by September 30, 2009, in accordance with section 1635 of the Wounded Warrior Act (title XVI of Public Law 110–181; 122 Stat. 460; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note).(G) The effectiveness of wounded warrior information resources, including the Wounded Warrior Resource Center, the National Resource Directory, Military OneSource, Family Assistance Centers, and Service hotlines, in providing meaningful information for recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces.(H) The support available to family caregivers of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces.(I) The legal support available to recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces and their families.(J) The availability of vocational training for recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces seeking to transition to civilian life.(K) The effectiveness of any measures under pilot programs to improve or enhance the military disability evaluation system.(L) The support and assistance provided to recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces as they progress through the military disability evaluation system.123 STAT. 2393(M) The support systems in place to ease the transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs.(N) Interagency matters affecting recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces in their transition to civilian life.(O) The effectiveness of the Senior Oversight Committee in facilitating and overseeing collaboration between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs on matters relating to the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces.(P) Overall coordination between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs on the matters specified in this paragraph.(Q) Such other matters as the Task Force considers appropriate in connection with the care, management, and transition of recovering wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces.(4) Transmittal.—Not later than 90 days after receipt of a report required by paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives the report and the Secretary’s evaluation of the report.(d) Plan Required.—Not later than six months after the receipt of a report under subsection (c), the Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments, submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a plan to implement the recommendations of the Task Force included in the report.(e) Administrative Matters.—(1) Compensation.—Each member of the Task Force who is a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian officer or employee of the United States shall serve on the Task Force without compensation (other than compensation to which entitled as a member of the Armed Forces or an officer or employee of the United States, as the case may be). Other members of the Task Force shall be appointed in accordance with, and subject to, the provisions of section 3161 of title 5, United States Code.(2) Oversight.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall oversee the Task Force. The Washington Headquarters Services of the Department of Defense shall provide the Task Force with personnel, facilities, and other administrative support as necessary for the performance of the duties of the Task Force.(3) Visits to military facilities.—Any visit by the Task Force to a military installation or facility shall be undertaken through the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments.(f) Termination.—The Task Force shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this Act.123 STAT. 2394