DEPENDENCY STATUS OF A MINOR IN THE CUSTODY OF A NON-PARENT MEMBER OR FORMER MEMBER OF THE ARMED FORCES.

SEC. 732. DEPENDENCY STATUS OF A MINOR IN THE CUSTODY OF A NON-PARENT MEMBER OR FORMER MEMBER OF THE ARMED FORCES. (a) Findings.—Congress finds the following: (1) Members and former members of the Armed Forces, for good and humanitarian reasons or because of a deep sense of familial responsibility, are taking legal custody of minors (including minors related to a member or former member by blood or adoption) who are neglected, abandoned, abused, or orphaned children. (2) Under current law, unless a minor referred to in paragraph (1) is also adopted by a member or former member of the Armed Forces, the minor is not considered a dependent of the member or former member for purposes of eligibility for care in the military medical health care system under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, or allowances under chapter 7 of title 37, United States Code. A compelling reason for the reluctance of many members and former members to adopt minors referred to in paragraph (1) is the fact that they are already related by blood or adoption. (b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that— (1) creative solutions should be found to enable a member or former member of the Armed Forces who is eligible for military health care to obtain care in the military medical health care system for a minor who is in the legal custody of the member or former member, especially when the minor is related by blood or adoption to the member or former member; and (2) the Secretaries of the military departments, in exercising their authority to grant designee status to a minor to receive health care at military treatment facilities, should give special attention and consideration to those cases involving a minor who is related by blood or adoption to a member or former member of the Armed Forces and is in the legal custody of the member or former member. (c) Report.—(1) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to Congress analyzing the desirability, feasibility, and cost implications of implementing a permanent change to the definition of dependent for purposes of eligibility for care in the military medical health care system under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, and allowances under chapter 7 of title 37, United States Code, to include minors who are in the legal custody of, and related by blood or adoption to, a member or former member of the Armed Forces and are not currently included in such definition. (2) The report required by this section shall also include data covering the preceding five-year period to indicate the manner in 105 STAT. 1408which the Secretaries of the military departments have handled requests for designee status for minors who are in the legal custody of a member or former member of the Armed Forces, including minors related by blood or adoption to a member or former member, and are otherwise ineligible for health care in the military medical health care system. Such data shall include— (A) the total number of requests for designee status involving these minors during that period; (B) the total number of these minors given designee status during that period; and (C) the average distance and range of distances that the minors given designee status must travel for medical and dental care in the military medical health care system. (3) The report required by this section shall also include an assessment by the Secretary of Defense of the necessity, desirability, and cost implications of designating as dependents for purposes of eligibility for care in the military medical health care system under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, and allowances under chapter 7 of title 37, United States Code, unmarried persons who— (A) are in the legal custody of members or former members of the Armed Forces; (B) are not considered the dependents of a member or former member for purposes of eligibility to obtain care in the military medical health care system or allowances under chapter 7 of title 37, United States Code; (C) are dependent on the member for half of their support; and (D) are under 21 years of age, incapable of self support because of disability, or under 23 years of age and enrolled in a full-time course of study in an institution of higher education. (4) The assessment required by paragraph (3) shall include an estimate of the number of persons referred to in that paragraph who potentially could be granted dependent status as a result of the change considered in that assessment and the costs of making that change.