((a)) ** .—**

((1)) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe uniform medical accession standards for the appointment, enlistment, or induction of individuals into the armed forces.

((2)) The Secretary of Defense shall make readily available and understandable to applicants for military service the medical accession standards established under paragraph (1), including an explanation of the process for a review or waiver of a medical disqualification under subsection (b).

((b)) ** .—**

((1)) The Secretary of Defense shall establish a process for the review of medical disqualifications of persons seeking to become a member of the armed forces and for granting waivers of those medical disqualifications. Determinations shall be based on all available information regarding the medical condition and the operational needs of the military service concerned.

((2)) The waiver process shall include criteria permitting waivers when such action is in the interests of national security, defined as a compelling governmental interest in accessing an individual whose service would directly support the Department’s warfighting capabilities.

((c)) ** .—**

((1)) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives an annual report identifying—

((A)) the number of persons disqualified from service as a member of the armed forces during the preceding calendar year due to medical history;

((B)) the number and type of approvals granted under subsection (b) during the preceding calendar year; and

((C)) any revisions to the medical accession standards established under subsection (a) or the waiver process established under subsection (b) since the preceding report.

((2)) In any fiscal year in which the accession of a person into the Coast Guard is approved under the process established under subsection (b), the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report identifying the information required under paragraph (1)(B) with respect to such member.