[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 36 (Friday, March 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
         DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MENTAL ILLNESS RESEARCH

  Due to printing error, the improper bill language appears on page 
S3809 of the Record of March 24 at the point where S. 1512, the bill to 
amend title 38, United States Code, to require the establishment in the 
Department of Veterans' Affairs of mental illness research, education, 
and clinic centers, and for other purposes, was passed. The permanent 
Record will be corrected to reflect the following language.

                                S. 1512

       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 and related counseling 
     services to eligible veterans suffering from mental illness, 
     especially mental illness related to service-related 
     conditions, through research (including research on improving 
     mental health service facilities of the Department and on 
     improving the delivery of mental health services by the 
     Department), education and training of personnel, and the 
     development of improved models and systems for the furnishing 
     of mental health services by the Department.
       ``(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 research 
     on mental health services, on the use by the Department of 
     specific models for furnishing such services, on education 
     and training, and on the development and implementation of 
     innovative clinical activities and systems of care with 
     respect to the delivery of such services by the Department; 
     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 shall, upon the recommendation of the 
     Under Secretary for Health, 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--
       ``(A) the peer review panel established under paragraph (5) 
     has determined under that paragraph that the proposal 
     submitted by such facility as a location for a new center 
     under this subsection is among those proposals which have met 
     the highest competitive standards of scientific and clinical 
     merit; and
       ``(B) the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under 
     Secretary for Health, determines that the facility has 
     developed (or may reasonably be anticipated to develop)--
       ``(i) 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;
       ``(ii) an arrangement with an accredited graduate school of 
     psychology under which arrangement students receive education 
     and training in clinical, counseling, or professional 
     psychology through regular rotation through the facility so 
     as to provide such students with training in the diagnosis 
     and treatment of mental illness;
       ``(iii) an arrangement under which nursing, social work, or 
     allied health personnel receive training and education in 
     mental health care through regular rotation through the 
     facility;
       ``(iv) the ability to attract scientists who have 
     demonstrated creativity and achievement in research--
        ``(I) into the evaluation of innovative approaches to the 
     design of mental health services; or
       ``(II) into the causes, prevention, and treatment of mental 
     illness;
       ``(v) 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
       ``(vi) the capability to evaluate effectively the 
     activities of the center, including activities relating to 
     the evaluation of specific efforts to improve the quality and 
     effectiveness of mental health services provided by the 
     Department at or through individual facilities.
       ``(5)(A) In order to provide advice to assist the Under 
     Secretary for Health and the Secretary to carry out their 
     responsibilities under this section, the official within the 
     Central Office of the Veterans Health Administration 
     responsible for mental health and behavioral sciences matters 
     shall establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical 
     merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for 
     the establishment of new centers under this subsection.
       ``(B) The membership of the panel shall consist of experts 
     in the fields of mental health research, education and 
     training, and clinical care. Members of the panel shall serve 
     as consultants to the Department for a period of no longer 
     than six months.
       ``(C) The panel shall review each proposal submitted to the 
     panel by the official referred to in subparagraph (A) and 
     shall submit its views on the relative scientific and 
     clinical merit of each such proposal to that official.
       ``(D) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal 
     Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
       ``(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 to mental 
     illness.
       ``(d) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that at 
     least three centers designated under subsection (b)(1)(A) 
     emphasize research into means of improving the quality of 
     care for veterans suffering from mental illness through the 
     development of community-based alternatives to institutional 
     treatment for such 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 publications and 
     through 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.
       (d) Technical Amendment.--Section 7314(d)(1) of such title 
     is amended by striking out ``the Chief Medical Director'' and 
     inserting in lieu thereof ``the Under Secretary for Health''.

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