This bill directs the Secretary of Defense to study the feasibility and cost of testing military members for helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that can cause stomach cancer, during the transition period when service members leave active duty. The Department must deliver a report within 180 days of the bill's passage that includes a detailed plan, cost estimate, and feasibility assessment for implementing such a testing program, with specific attention to breath and stool-based testing methods. The report should consider input from medical experts, including gastroenterologists specializing in H. pylori and related gastrointestinal diseases. This legislation affects active duty military members and those preparing to leave the Armed Forces, particularly those who may have been exposed to the bacteria during service. The bill does not authorize funding or mandate implementation of a testing program, but rather requires the Pentagon to evaluate whether such a program is practical and affordable.
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