PROSTHETICS AND HEARING AIDS.

SEC. 702. PROSTHETICS AND HEARING AIDS. Section 1077 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following: “(16) A hearing aid, but only for a dependent of a member of the uniformed services on active duty and only if the dependent has a profound hearing loss, as determined under standards prescribed in regulations by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the administering Secretaries.”; (2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking “Hearing aids, orthopedic footwear,” and inserting “Orthopedic footwear”; and (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(e)(1) Authority to provide a prosthetic device under subsection (a)(15) includes authority to provide the following: “(A) Any accessory or item of supply that is used in conjunction with the device for the purpose of achieving therapeutic benefit and proper functioning. “(B) Services necessary to train the recipient of the device in the use of the device. 115 STAT. 1162 “(C) Repair of the device for normal wear and tear or damage. “(D) Replacement of the device if the device is lost or irreparably damaged or the cost of repair would exceed 60 percent of the cost of replacement. “(2) An augmentative communication device may be provided as a voice prosthesis under subsection (a)(15). “(3) A prosthetic device customized for a patient may be provided under this section only by a prosthetic practitioner who is qualified to customize the device, as determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the administering Secretaries”.