PUBLIC LAW 109–163—JAN. 6, 2006
119 STAT. 3269
SEC. 563. POLICY AND PROCEDURES ON ASSISTANCE TO SEVERELY WOUNDED OR INJURED SERVICE MEMBERS.
10 USC 113 note.
(a) COMPREHENSIVE POLICY.— (1) POLICY REQUIRED.—Not later than June 1, 2006, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe a comprehensive policy for the Department of Defense on the provision of assistance to members of the Armed Forces who incur severe wounds or injuries in the line of duty (in this section referred to as ‘‘severely wounded or injured servicemembers’’). (2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall develop the policy required by paragraph (1) in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Secretary of Labor. (3) INCORPORATION OF PAST EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE.— The policy required by paragraph (1) shall be based on— (A) the experience and best practices of the military departments, including the Army Wounded Warrior Program, the Marine Corps Marine for Life Injured Support Program, the Air Force Palace HART program, and the Navy Wounded Marines and Sailors Initiative; (B) the recommendations of nongovernment organizations with demonstrated expertise in responding to the needs of severely wounded or injured servicemembers; and (C) such other matters as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate. (4) PROCEDURES AND STANDARDS.—The policy shall include guidelines to be followed by the military departments in the provision of assistance to severely wounded or injured servicemembers. The procedures and standards shall be uniform across the military departments except to the extent necessary to reflect the traditional practices or customs of a particular military department. The procedures and standards shall establish a minimum level of support and shall specify the duration of programs. (b) ELEMENTS OF POLICY.—The comprehensive policy developed under subsection (a) shall address the following matters: (1) Coordination with the Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center of the Department of Defense. (2) Promotion of a seamless transition to civilian life for severely wounded or injured servicemembers who are or are likely to be separated on account of their wound or injury. (3) Identification and resolution of special problems or issues related to the transition to civilian life of severely wounded or injured servicemembers who are members of the reserve components. (4) The qualifications, assignment, training, duties, supervision, and accountability for the performance of responsibilities for the personnel providing assistance to severely wounded or injured servicemembers. (5) Centralized, short-term and long-term case-management procedures for assistance to severely wounded or injured servicemembers by each military department, including rapid access for severely wounded or injured servicemembers to case managers and counselors. (6) The provision, through a computer accessible Internet website and other means and at no cost to severely wounded
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