§ 1074f. Medical tracking system for members deployed overseas
(a)
System Required.—
The Secretary of Defense shall establish a system to assess the medical condition of members of the armed forces (including members of the reserve components) who are deployed outside the United States or its territories or possessions as part of a contingency operation (including a humanitarian operation, peacekeeping operation, or similar operation) or combat operation.
(b)
Elements of System.—
(1)
(A)
The system described in subsection (a) shall include the use of predeployment medical examinations and postdeployment medical examinations (including the assessment of mental health and the drawing of blood samples) and postdeployment health reassessments to—
(2)
The predeployment medical examination, postdeployment medical examination, and postdeployment health reassessment of a member of the armed forces required under paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(3)
(A)
The Secretary shall establish for purposes of subparagraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (2) a protocol for the predeployment assessment and documentation of the cognitive (including memory) functioning of a member who is deployed outside the United States in order to facilitate the assessment of the postdeployment cognitive (including memory) functioning of the member.
(c)
Recordkeeping.—
The results of all medical examinations and reassessments conducted under the system, records of all health care services (including immunizations and the prescription and administration of psychotropic medications) received by members described in subsection (a) in anticipation of their deployment or during the course of their deployment, and records of events occurring in the deployment area that may affect the health of such members shall be retained and maintained in a centralized location to improve future access to the records.
(d)
Quality Assurance.—
(1)
The Secretary of Defense shall establish a quality assurance program to evaluate the success of the system in ensuring that members described in subsection (a) receive predeployment medical examinations, postdeployment medical examinations, and postdeployment health reassessments and that the recordkeeping requirements with respect to the system are met.
(2)
The quality assurance program established under paragraph (1) shall also include the following elements:
(A)
The types of healthcare providers conducting postdeployment health assessments and reassessments.
(B)
The training received by such providers applicable to the conduct of such assessments and reassessments, including training on assessments and referrals relating to mental health.
(C)
The guidance available to such providers on how to apply the clinical practice guidelines developed under subsection (e)(1) in determining whether to make a referral for further evaluation of a member of the armed forces relating to mental health.
(D)
The effectiveness of the tracking mechanisms required under this section in ensuring that members who receive referrals for further evaluations relating to mental health receive such evaluations and obtain such care and services as are warranted.
(e)
Criteria for Referral for Further Evaluations.—
The system described in subsection (a) shall include—
(1)
development of clinical practice guidelines to be utilized by healthcare providers in determining whether to refer a member of the armed forces for further evaluation relating to mental health (including traumatic brain injury);
(f)
Minimum Standards for Deployment.—
(1)
The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe in regulations minimum standards for mental health for the eligibility of a member of the armed forces for deployment to a combat operation or contingency operation.
(2)
The standards required by paragraph (1) shall include the following: