Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 3.djvu/248

 112 STAT. 2078 PUBLIC LAW 105-261—OCT. 17, 1998 (C) The perceptions of beneficiaries in a variety of categories (defined as the Secretaries consider appropriate) regarding the various Federal health care systems available for their use. (D) The types and frequency of medical services furnished by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs through cooperative arrangements to each category of beneficiary (including active-duty members, retirees, dependents, veterans in the health-care eligibility categories referred to as Category A and Category C, and persons authorized to receive medical care under section 1713 of title 38, United States Code) of the other department. (E) The extent to which health care facilities of the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs have sufficient capacity, or could jointly or individually create sufficient capacity, to provide services to beneficiaries of the other department without diminution of access or services to their primary beneficiaries. (F) The extent to which the recruitment of scarce medical specialists and allied health personnel by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs could be enhanced through cooperative arrangements for providing health care services. (G) The obstacles and disincentives to providing health care services through cooperative arrangements between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Reports. (2) The Secretaries shall jointly submit a report on the results of the review to the appropriate committees of Congress. The report shall include any proposals for legislation that the Secretaries recommend for eliminating or reducing impediments to interdepartmental cooperation that are identified during the review. (e) PARTICIPATION IN TRICARE.— (1) The Secretary of Defense shall review the TRICARE program to identify opportunities for increased participation by the Department of Veterans Affairs in that program. The ongoing collaboration between Department of Defense officials and Department of Veterans Affairs officials regarding increased participation shall be included among the matters reviewed. Reports. (2) The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a semiannual report on the status of the review under this subsection and on efforts to increase the participation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in the TRICARE program. No report is required under this paragraph after the submission of a semiannual report in which the Secretaries declare that the Department of Veterans Affairs is participating in the TRICARE program to the extent that can reasonably be expected to be attained. (f) PHARMACEUTICAL BENEFITS AND PROGRAMS. — (1) The Department of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Pharmacy Executive Steering Committee shall— (A) undertake a comprehensive examination of existing pharmaceutical benefits and programs for beneficiaries of Department of Defense medical care programs, including matters relating to the purchasing, distribution, and dispensing of pharmaceuticals and the management of mail order pharmaceuticals programs; and

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