Wounded Warrior Research Enhancement Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1316 To require the Secretary of Defense to award grants to fund research on orthotics and prosthetics, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 2, 2019 Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. MURPHY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To require the Secretary of Defense to award grants to fund research on orthotics and prosthetics, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wounded Warrior Re- 4 search Enhancement Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. ORTHOTIC AND PROSTHETIC RESEARCH. 6 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the grants described 7 in this section is to advance orthotic and prosthetic clinical 8 care for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and civil- 9 ians who have undergone amputation, traumatic brain in- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 May 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1316.IS S1316 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1316 IS jury, and other serious physical injury as a result of com- 1 bat or military experience. 2 (b) GRANTS FOR RESEARCH ON PATIENT OUT- 3 COMES.—The Secretary of Defense shall award grants to 4 persons to carry out research on the following: 5 (1) The actions that can be taken to prevent 6 amputation of limbs. 7 (2) The point in the course of patient treatment 8 during which orthotic and prosthetic intervention is 9 most effective. 10 (3) The orthotic interventions that are most ef- 11 fective in treating the physical effects of traumatic 12 brain injury. 13 (4) The patients that benefit most from par- 14 ticular orthotic and prosthetic technologies. 15 (5) The orthotic and prosthetic services that 16 best facilitate the return to active duty of members 17 of the Armed Forces. 18 (6) The effect of the aging process on the use 19 of prosthetics, including— 20 (A) increased skin breakdown; 21 (B) loss of balance; 22 (C) falls; and 23 (D) other issues that arise during the 24 aging process. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 May 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1316.IS S1316 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1316 IS (c) GRANTS ON MATERIALS RESEARCH.—The Sec- 1 retary shall award grants to persons to carry out research 2 on the following: 3 (1) The improvement of existing materials used 4 in orthotics and prosthetics for the purpose of im- 5 proving quality of life and health outcomes for indi- 6 viduals with limb loss. 7 (2) The development of new materials used in 8 orthotics and prosthetics for the purpose of improv- 9 ing quality of life and health outcomes for individ- 10 uals with limb loss. 11 (d) GRANTS ON TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH.—The Sec- 12 retary shall award grants to persons to carry out research 13 on the following: 14 (1) The improvement of existing orthotic and 15 prosthetic technology and devices for the purpose of 16 improving quality of life and health outcomes for in- 17 dividuals with limb loss. 18 (2) The development of new orthotic and pros- 19 thetic technology and devices for the purpose of im- 20 proving quality of life and health outcomes for indi- 21 viduals with limb loss. 22 (e) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS.—A person seeking 23 the award of a grant under this section shall submit to 24 the Secretary an application therefor in the form and ac- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 May 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1316.IS S1316 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1316 IS companied by such information as the Secretary shall re- 1 quire. 2 (f) AWARD REQUIREMENTS.— 3 (1) PEER-REVIEWED PROPOSALS.—Grants 4 under this section may be awarded only for research 5 that is peer-reviewed. 6 (2) COMPETITIVE PROCEDURES.—Grants under 7 this section shall be awarded through competitive 8 procedures. 9 (g) GRANT USE.—A person awarded a grant under 10 subsection (b), (c), or (d) shall use the grant amount to 11 carry out the research described in the applicable sub- 12 section. 13 (h) REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days after the 14 date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently 15 than annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall, 16 in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, vet- 17 erans, community-based clinicians, and expert researchers 18 in the field of orthotics and prosthetics, submit to Con- 19 gress a report setting forth the following: 20 (1) An agenda for orthotic and prosthetic re- 21 search that identifies and prioritizes the most sig- 22 nificant unanswered orthotic and prosthetic research 23 questions pertinent to the provision of evidence- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 May 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1316.IS S1316 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1316 IS based clinical care to members of the Armed Forces, 1 veterans, and civilians. 2 (2) For each report after the initial report 3 under this subsection— 4 (A) a summary of how the grants awarded 5 under subsection (b) are addressing the most 6 significant orthotic and prosthetic needs; and 7 (B) the progress made towards resolving 8 orthotic and prosthetic challenges facing mem- 9 bers of the Armed Forces and veterans. 10 (i) VETERAN DEFINED.—In this section, the term 11 ‘‘veteran’’ has the meaning given that term in section 101 12 of title 38, United States Code. 13 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 14 authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2020 for the 15 Department of Defense for the Defense Health Program, 16 $30,000,000 to carry out this section. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 May 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S1316.IS S1316 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS