S.Amdt. 1966

SA 1966. Ms. STABENOW submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 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; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

SEC. 738. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON CARE FOR ALZHEIMER'S
DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS UNDER TRICARE
PROGRAM.

(a) Sense of Congress.--
(1) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(A) Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and ultimately
fatal neurodegenerative disease with no known cure and is the
sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
(B) Only 45 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease or
their caregivers report ever being told of the diagnosis.
(C) Accumulating evidence suggests a strong link between
head injury and future risk of Alzheimer's disease.
(D) During the years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan,
the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center reports 327,299
documented cases of traumatic brain injury among active duty
members of the Armed Forces.
(E) Care planning can improve health outcomes for both the
diagnosed individual and caregivers of those individuals.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(A) covered beneficiaries diagnosed with Alzheimer's
disease or a related dementia and their families should have
access to a

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comprehensive care planning session from the Department of
Defense;
(B) the Secretary of Defense should take appropriate action
to provide eligible individuals with a care planning session
with respect to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or a related
dementia; and
(C) the care planning session should include, at minimum, a
comprehensive care plan, information on the diagnosis and
treatment options, and information on relevant medical and
community services.
(b) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services
of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the
House of Representatives a report on care planning services
for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias for all members
of the Armed Forces and covered beneficiaries.
(2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A description and assessment of care planning services
for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias currently
provided for members of the Armed Forces and covered
beneficiaries, including access to care, scope of available
care, availability of specialty care, and use of care
planning sessions with beneficiaries and caregivers.
(B) An assessment of the incidence and prevalence of
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias during the five-
year period preceding the submittal of the report for members
of the Armed Forces and covered beneficiaries.
(C) A description of how the Department of Defense would
implement a service for members of the Armed Forces and
covered beneficiaries who are diagnosed with Alzheimer's
disease or a related dementia that provides a one-time care
planning session to a beneficiary and caregivers of the
beneficiary to design a comprehensive care plan that includes
information about the diagnosis, medical and non-medical
options for ongoing treatment, and available services and
support.
(c) Covered Beneficiaries Defined.--In this section, the
term ``covered beneficiaries'' has the meaning given that
term in section 1072(5) of title 10, United States Code.
______