STUDY OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VIETNAM VETERANS.

SEC. 212. STUDY OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VIETNAM VETERANS. (a) Study on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.—Not later than 10 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall enter into a contract with an appropriate entity to carry out a study on post-traumatic stress disorder. (b) Follow-Up Study.—The contract under subsection (a) shall provide for a follow-up study to the study conducted in accordance with section 102 of the Veterans Health Care Amendments of 114 STAT. 18441983 (Public Law 98–160), Such follow-up study shall use the data base and sample of the previous study. (c) Information To Be Included—The study conducted pursuant to this section shall be designed to yield information on— (1) the long-term course of post-traumatic stress disorder; (2) any long-term medical consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder; (3) whether particular subgroups of veterans are at greater risk of chronic or more severe problems with such disorder; and (4) the services used by veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder and the effect of those services on the course of the disorder. (d) Report.—The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the results of the study under this section. The report shall be submitted no later than October 1, 2004.