[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1512 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1512

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the establishment in 
    the Department of Veterans Affairs of mental illness research, 
        education, and clinical centers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

          September 30 (legislative date, September 27), 1993

 Mr. Rockefeller (for himself, Mr. Akaka, and Mr. Campbell) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                          on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the establishment in 
    the Department of Veterans Affairs of mental illness research, 
        education, and clinical centers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. MENTAL ILLNESS RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLINICAL CENTERS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec.  7319. Mental illness research, education, and clinical centers
    ``(a) The purpose of this section is to improve the provision of 
health-care services to eligible veterans suffering from mental 
illness, especially mental illness related to service-related 
conditions, through research, the education and training of health 
personnel, and the development of improved models for furnishing 
clinical services.
    ``(b)(1) In order to carry out the purpose of this section, the 
Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health 
and pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, shall--
            ``(A) designate not more than five health-care facilities 
        of the Department as the locations for a center of mental 
        illness research, education and training, and clinical 
        activities; and
            ``(B) subject to the appropriation of funds for such 
        purpose, establish and operate such centers at such locations 
        in accordance with this section.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall designate at least one facility under 
paragraph (1) not later than January 1, 1994.
    ``(3) The Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary 
for Health, shall ensure that the facilities designated for centers 
under paragraph (1) are located in various geographic regions.
    ``(4) The Secretary may not designate any health-care facility as a 
location for a center under paragraph (1) unless the Secretary, upon 
the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health, determines that 
the facility has developed (or may reasonably be anticipated to 
develop)--
            ``(A) an arrangement with an accredited medical school 
        which provides education and training in psychiatry and with 
        which the facility is affiliated under which arrangement 
        residents receive education and training in psychiatry through 
        regular rotation through the facility so as to provide such 
        residents with training in the diagnosis and treatment of 
        mental illness;
            ``(B) an arrangement with an accredited graduate school of 
        psychology which provides education and training in clinical or 
        counseling psychology, or both, and with which the facility is 
        affiliated under which arrangement students receive education 
        and training in clinical or counseling psychology, or both, 
        through regular rotation through the facility so as to provide 
        such students with training in the diagnosis and treatment of 
        mental illness;
            ``(C) an arrangement under which nursing, social work, or 
        other allied health personnel receive training and education in 
        mental health care through regular rotation through the 
        facility;
            ``(D) the ability to attract scientists who have 
        demonstrated creativity and achievement in research into the 
        causes, treatment, and prevention of mental illness and into 
        models for furnishing care and treatment to veterans suffering 
        from mental illness;
            ``(E) a policymaking advisory committee composed of 
        appropriate mental health-care and research personnel of the 
        facility and of the affiliated school or schools to advise the 
        directors of the facility and the center on policy matters 
        pertaining to the activities of the center during the period of 
        the operation of the center; and
            ``(F) the capability to conduct effectively evaluations of 
        the activities of the center.
    ``(c) Clinical and scientific investigation activities at each 
center may compete for the award of funding from amounts appropriated 
for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research 
account and shall receive priority in the award of funding from such 
account insofar as funds are awarded to projects and activities 
relating mental illness.
    ``(d) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that research 
activities carried out through centers established under subsection 
(b)(1) include an appropriate emphasis on the psychosocial dimension of 
mental illness and on proposals of means of furnishing care and 
treatment to veterans suffering from mental illness.
    ``(e) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that useful 
information produced by the research, education and training, and 
clinical activities of the centers established under subsection (b)(1) 
is disseminated throughout the Veterans Health Administration through 
the development of programs of continuing medical and related education 
provided through regional medical education centers under subchapter VI 
of chapter 74 of this title and through other means.
    ``(f) The official within the Central Office of the Veterans Health 
Administration responsible for mental health and behavioral sciences 
matters shall be responsible for supervising the operation of the 
centers established pursuant to subsection (b)(1).
    ``(g)(1) There are authorized to be appropriated for the Department 
of Veterans Affairs for the basic support of the research and education 
and training activities of the centers established pursuant to 
subsection (b)(1) the following:
            ``(A) $3,125,000 for fiscal year 1994.
            ``(B) $6,250,000 for each of fiscal years 1995 through 
        1997.
    ``(2) In addition to the funds available under the authorization of 
appropriations in paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Health shall 
allocate to such centers from other funds appropriated generally for 
the Department of Veterans Affairs medical care account and the 
Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research account 
such amounts as the Under Secretary for Health determines appropriate 
in order to carry out the purposes of this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 73 of such title is amended by adding at the end of the matter 
relating to subchapter II the following:

``7319. Mental illness research, education, and clinical centers.''.
    (c) Reports.--Not later than February 1 of each of 1995, 1996, and 
1997, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a 
report on the status and activities during the previous fiscal year of 
the mental illness, research, education, and clinical centers 
established pursuant to section 7319 of title 38, United States Code 
(as added by subsection (a)). Each such report shall contain the 
following:
            (1) A description of--
                    (A) the activities carried out at each center and 
                the funding provided for such activities;
                    (B) the advances made at each center in research, 
                education and training, and clinical activities 
                relating to mental illness in veterans; and
                    (C) the actions taken by the Under Secretary for 
                Health pursuant to subsection (d) of such section (as 
                so added) to disseminate useful information derived 
                from such activities throughout the Veterans Health 
                Administration.
            (2) The Secretary's evaluations of the effectiveness of the 
        centers in fulfilling the purposes of the centers.

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