S.Amdt. 3084

This amendment, submitted by Mrs. Murray and Mr. Justice, aims to add a new section (Section 724) to bill S. 2296. Its purpose is to require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to evaluate research and care related to menopause, perimenopause, and mid-life women's health for veterans and women in the uniformed services.

The amendment requires the evaluation of several specific areas:

• Research status: This includes looking at completed and ongoing research, as well as gaps in knowledge regarding the safety and effectiveness of hormone and non-hormone treatments.
• Service impact: It looks at how serving in the uniformed services relates to perimenopause and menopause, and how these stages impact a woman's mental health.
• Resources and treatments: It evaluates the availability and use of professional training for covered providers and the availability of treatments for women in the uniformed services or veterans.

To hold these officials accountable, the amendment requires the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of the Act's enactment. This report must include the evaluation findings, recommendations for improving professional training, and a strategic plan to fix research gaps and identify new research topics.

The amendment also states it is the sense of Congress that both the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should conduct research in these areas, while ensuring they do not duplicate existing efforts from the Department of Health and Human Services.