MILITARY HEALTH CARE FOR PERSONS RELIANT ON HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AT BASES BEING CLOSED OR REALIGNED.

SEC. 722. MILITARY HEALTH CARE FOR PERSONS RELIANT ON HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AT BASES BEING CLOSED OR REALIGNED. (a) Establishment.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a joint services working group on the provision of military health care to persons who rely for health care on health care facilities at military installations being closed or realigned. (b) Membership.—The members of the working group shall include the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Surgeon General of the Army, the Surgeon General of the Navy, the Surgeon General of the Air Force, or a designee of each such person, and one independent member appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among private citizens whose interest in matters within the responsibility of the working group qualify that person to represent all personnel entitled to health care under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code. (c) Duties.—(1) In the case of each closure or realignment of a military installation that will adversely affect the accessibility of health care in a facility of the uniformed services for persons entitled to such health care under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, the working group shall solicit the views of such persons regarding suitable substitutes for the furnishing of health care to those persons under that chapter. (2) In carrying out paragraph (15, the working group— (A) shall conduct meetings with persons referred to in that paragraph, or representatives of such persons; (B) may use reliable sampling techniques; (C) shall visit the areas where closures or realignments of military installations will adversely affect the accessibility of health care in a facility of the uniformed services for persons referred to in paragraph (1) and shall conduct public meetings; and (D) shall ensure that members of the uniformed services on active duty, members and former members of the uniformed services entitled to retired or retainer pay, and dependents and survivors of such members and retired personnel are afforded the opportunity to express views. (d) Recommendations.—With respect to each closure and realignment of a military installation referred to in subsection (c), the working group shall submit to the Congress and the Sec-106 STAT. 2440retary of Defense the working group’s recommendations regarding the alternative means for continuing to provide accessible health care under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, to persons referred to in that subsection. (e) Application of Advisory Committee Act.—The provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the joint services working group established pursuant to this section.