,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #age #aacth  
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #addc
 ,report ,no4 #aac-bdg ,,in ,,the       
,,house ,,of ,,representatives  ,april  
#i1 #bjac,mr4 ,michaud introduced the   
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,october #bb1 #bjac;,additional         
sponsors3 ,mr4 ,o',rourke1 ,ms4         
,brownley of ,california1 ,mr4 ,walz1   
and ,mr4 ,mc,govern  ,october #bb1      
#bjac,reported with an amendment1       
committed to the ,committee of the      
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union1 and ordered to be printed,strike
 out all after the enacting clause and  
insert the part printed in italic  ,a   
,,bill  ,to direct the ,secretary of    
,veterans ,affairs to recognize tinnitus
 as a mandatory condition for research  
and treatment by the ,department of     
,veterans ,affairs1 and for other       
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,tinnitus ,research 
and ,treatment ,act of #bjac4  #b4      

,recognition and treatment of tinnitus  
at ,department of ,veterans ,affairs    
,auditory ,centers of ,excellence ,the  
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
recognize tinnitus as a mandatory       
condition for research and treatment by 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs   
,auditory ,centers of ,excellence4  #c4 
,research on prevention and treatment of
 tinnitus ,the ,secretary of ,veterans  
,affairs shall ensure that research is  
conducted at ,department of ,veterans   
,affairs facilities on the prevention   
and treatment of tinnitus4 ,such        
research shall include-- 7#a7 an        
assessment of the efficacy of           
multidisciplinary tinnitus treatment    
modalities on different subsets of      
patients2  7#b7 studies on the          
underlying etiology of tinnitus in      
veteran populations that occur as a     
result of different causal factors1     
including blast-related tinnitus where  
there is no measurable hearing loss     
versus other forms of noise-induced     

tinnitus where there is hearing loss2   
and  7#c7 a study of the underlying     
mechanisms between hearing loss and     
tinnitus1 including cases in which one  
or the other condition is present1 but  
not both4  #d4 ,interdepartmental       
cooperation ,the ,secretary of ,veterans
 ,affairs shall ensure the cooperation  
of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs
 with the ,hearing ,center of           
,excellence established by the          
,department of ,defense to further      
research on tinnitus4  #a4 ,short title 
,this ,act may be cited as the ,tinnitus
 ,research and ,treatment ,act of #bjac4
  #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the     
following findings3 7#a7 ,since #bjjf1  
the most prevalent service-connected    
disability for which veterans have      
received compensation under the laws    
administered by the ,secretary of       
,veterans ,affairs has been tinnitus4   
7#b7 ,the number of veterans receiving  
such compensation for tinnitus has risen
 each year since #bjjf1 increasing the  

number and cost of the compensation     
claims paid by the ,secretary4  7#c7 ,a 
growing body of peer reviewed literature
 indicates a direct connection between  
traumatic brain injury1 post traumatic  
stress disorder1 and tinnitus4  7#d7 ,an
 analysis of data collected by the      
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
concluded that total amount of          
disability compensation paid for        
tinnitus by the ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs in #bjab was #a1ejj1jjj1jjj4  
7#e7 ,based on projected rates of       
growth1 the amount of disability        
compensation payable to veterans for    
tinnitus is expected to exceed          
#c1jjj1jjj1jjj in #bjag4  #c4           
,recognition and treatment of tinnitus  
at ,department of ,veterans ,affairs    
,auditory ,centers of ,excellence ,the  
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
recognize tinnitus as a condition for   
research and treatment by the           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
,auditory ,centers of ,excellence4  #d4 

,research on prevention and treatment of
 tinnitus  7a7 ,in general ,the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
recognize the need to enhance the       
research and treatment of tinnitus and  
to ensure the allocation of appropriate 
resources directed at the research and  
enhanced treatment of tinnitus conducted
 by the ,auditory ,centers of           
,excellence of the ,department of       
,veterans ,affairs1 commensurate with   
peer-review protocols4 ,such research   
shall include-- 7#a7 an assessment of   
the efficacy of multidisciplinary       
tinnitus treatment modalities on        
different subsets of patients2  7#b7    
studies on the underlying etiology of   
tinnitus in veteran populations that    
occur as a result of different causal   
factors1 including blast-related        
tinnitus where there is no measurable   
hearing loss versus other forms of      
noise-induced tinnitus where there is   
hearing loss2 and  7#c7 a study of the  
underlying mechanisms between hearing   

loss and tinnitus1 including cases in   
which one or the other condition is     
present1 but not both4  7b7             
,relationship to other authorities      
,nothing in this section shall be       
construed as interfering with the       
discretion of the ,secretary of         
,veterans ,affairs to conduct research  
in accordance with peer-review protocols
 in order to ensure the quality and     
transparency of the research4  #e4      
,interdepartmental cooperation ,the     
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
ensure the cooperation of the           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs with  
the ,hearing ,center of ,excellence     
established by the ,department of       
,defense to further research on         
tinnitus4  ,october #bb1 #bjac,reported 
with an amendment1 committed to the     
,committee of the ,whole ,house on the  
,state of the ,union1 and ordered to be 
printed