National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010

Law #: Public Law 111-84

111th Congress (1st Session)

HR2647 Skelton (D-Mo.) 10/22/09

Enrolled (finally passed both houses)

To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.

SEC. 726. INDEPENDENT STUDY ON POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER EFFORTS.

(a) Study Required.—The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall provide for a study on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder to be conducted by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences or such other independent entity as the Secretary shall select for purposes of the study.

(b) Elements.—The study required by subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1) A list of each operative program and method available for the prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, or rehabilitation of post-traumatic stress disorder, including—

(A) the rates of success for each such program or method (including an operational definition of the term “success” and a discussion of the process used to quantify such rates);

(B) based on the incidence of actual diagnoses, an estimate of the number of members of the Armed Forces and veterans diagnosed by the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs as having post-traumatic stress disorder and the number of such veterans who have been successfully treated; and (C) any collaborative efforts between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prevent, screen, diagnose, treat, or rehabilitate post-traumatic stress disorder.

(2) The status of studies and clinical trials involving innovative treatments of post-traumatic stress disorder that are conducted by the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the private sector, including—

(A) efforts to identify physiological markers of post-traumatic stress disorder;

(B) with respect to efforts to determine causation of post-traumatic stress disorder, brain imaging studies and the correlation between brain region physiology and post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses and the results (including any interim results) of such efforts;

(C) the effectiveness of alternative therapies in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, including the therapeutic use of animals;

(D) the effectiveness of administering pharmaceutical agents before, during, or after a traumatic event in the prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder; and

(E) identification of areas in which the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs may be duplicating studies, programs, or research with respect to post-traumatic stress disorder.

(3) A description of each treatment program for post-traumatic stress disorder, including a comparison of the methods of treatment by each program, at the following locations:

(A) Fort Hood, Texas.

(B) Fort Bliss, Texas.

(C) Fort Campbell, Tennessee.

(D) Other locations the entity conducting the study considers appropriate.

(4) The respective current and projected future annual expenditures by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs for the treatment and rehabilitation of post-traumatic stress disorder.

(5) A description of gender-specific and racial and ethnic group-specific mental health treatment and services available for members of the Armed Forces, including—

(A) the availability of such treatment and services;

(B) the access to such treatment and services;

(C) the need for such treatment and services; and

(D) the efficacy and adequacy of such treatment and services.

(6) A description of areas for expanded future research with respect to post-traumatic stress disorder.

(7) Any other matters the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Veterans Affairs consider relevant with respect to the purposes of obtaining a comprehensive scientific assessment of—

(A) the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder among members of the Armed Forces and veterans;

(B) the availability and effectiveness of various treatment programs and methods available for post-traumatic stress disorder;

(C) the current and future projected costs of such treatment programs and methods; or (A)

(D) additional areas of needed research.

(8) Any other matters the entity conducting the study considers relevant.

(c) Reports.—

(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than July 1, 2012, the entity conducting the study required by subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the appropriate committees a report on the study.

(2) RESPONSE.—Not later than January 1, 2013, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall each submit to the appropriate committees a response to the report submitted under paragraph (1), including any recommendations on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder based on such report.

(d) Updated Reports Required.—

(1) UPDATED REPORT.—Not later than July 1, 2014, the entity conducting the study required by subsection (a) shall submit to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the appropriate committees an update of the report required by subsection (c).

(2) UPDATED RESPONSE.—Not later than January 1, 2015, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall each submit to the appropriate committees a response to the updated report submitted under paragraph (1), including any recommendations on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder based on such updated report.

(e) Appropriate Committees Defined.—In this section, the term “appropriate committees” means—

(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and

(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.