TRICARE BENEFICIARY COUNSELING AND ASSISTANCE COORDINATORS.

SEC. 715. TRICARE BENEFICIARY COUNSELING AND ASSISTANCE COORDINATORS. (a) Establishment of Positions.—(1) Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1095d (as added by section 714) the following new section: “§ 1095e. TRICARE program: beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinators “(a) Establishment of Positions.—The Secretary of Defense shall require in regulations that— “(1) each lead agent under the TRICARE program— “(A) designate a person to serve full-time as a beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinator for beneficiaries under the TRICARE program; and “(B) provide for toll-free telephone communication between such beneficiaries and the beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinator; and “(2) the commander of each military medical treatment facility under this chapter designate a person to serve, as a primary or collateral duty, as beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinator for beneficiaries under the TRICARE program served at that facility. “(b) Duties.—The Secretary shall prescribe the duties of the position of beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinator in the regulations required by subsection (a).”. (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1095d the following new item: “1095e. TRICARE program: beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinators.”. (b) Deadline for Initial Designations.—Each beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinator required under the regulations described in section 1095e(a) of title 10, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)), shall be designated not later than January 15, 2000.