A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish epilepsy centers of excellence in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Summary: Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate, establish, and operate at least six Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care facilities as locations for epilepsy centers of excellence. Requires the Under Secretary for Health of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals for the designation of such centers. Prohibits the Secretary from designating a VA facility as a center of excellence unless the peer review panel has determined that the proposal submitted by such facility is among those that meet the highest competitive standards of scientific and clinical merit.

Requires the Secretary to designate a VHA national coordinator for epilepsy programs to: (1) supervise the operation of the centers; (2) coordinate and support throughout the VA health-care system better access to diagnosis, research, care, and education for epilepsy and traumatic brain injury; and (3) conduct regular evaluations of the centers.

Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. EPILEPSY CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 7330A. Epilepsy centers of excellence
    ``(a) Establishment of Centers.--(1) Not later than 120 days after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall, upon 
the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health, designate not 
less than six Department health-care facilities as the locations for 
epilepsy centers of excellence.
    ``(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for such 
purpose, the Secretary shall establish and operate epilepsy centers of 
excellence at the locations designated pursuant to paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Designation of Facilities.--(1) The Secretary may not 
designate a Department health-care facility as a location for an 
epilepsy center of excellence under subsection (a)(1) unless the peer 
review panel established under subsection (c) has determined under that 
subsection that the proposal submitted by such facility seeking 
designation as a location for an epilepsy center of excellence is among 
those proposals that meet the highest competitive standards of 
scientific and clinical merit.
    ``(2) In choosing from among the facilities meeting the 
requirements of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall also consider 
appropriate geographic distribution when designating the epilepsy 
centers of excellence under subsection (a)(1).
    ``(c) Peer Review Panel.--(1) The Under Secretary for Health shall 
establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical 
merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the 
designation of epilepsy centers of excellence under this section.
    ``(2)(A) The membership of the peer review panel shall consist of 
experts on epilepsy, including post-traumatic epilepsy.
    ``(B) Members of the peer review panel shall serve for a period of 
no longer than two years, except as specified in subparagraph (C).
    ``(C) Of the members first appointed to the panel, one half shall 
be appointed for a period of three years and one half shall be 
appointed for a period of two years, as designated by the Under 
Secretary at the time of appointment.
    ``(3) The peer review panel shall review each proposal submitted to 
the panel by the Under Secretary for Health and shall submit its views 
on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each such proposal to 
the Under Secretary.
    ``(4) The peer review panel shall not be subject to the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act.
    ``(d) Epilepsy Center of Excellence Defined.--In this section, the 
term `epilepsy center of excellence' means a Department health-care 
facility that has (or in the foreseeable future can develop) the 
necessary capacity to function as a center of excellence in research, 
education, and clinical care activities in the diagnosis and treatment 
of epilepsy and has (or may reasonably be anticipated to develop) each 
of the following:
            ``(1) An affiliation with an accredited medical school that 
        provides education and training in neurology, including an 
        arrangement with such school under which medical residents 
        receive education and training in the diagnosis and treatment 
        of epilepsy (including neurosurgery).
            ``(2) The ability to attract the participation of 
        scientists who are capable of ingenuity and creativity in 
        health-care research efforts.
            ``(3) An advisory committee composed of veterans and 
        appropriate health-care and research representatives of the 
        facility and of the affiliated school or schools to advise the 
        directors of such facility and such center on policy matters 
        pertaining to the activities of the center during the period of 
        the operation of such center.
            ``(4) The capability to conduct effectively evaluations of 
        the activities of such center.
            ``(5) The capability to coordinate (as part of an 
        integrated national system) education, clinical care, and 
        research activities within all facilities with such centers.
            ``(6) The capability to develop jointly a national 
        consortium of providers with interest in treating epilepsy at 
        Department health-care facilities lacking such centers in order 
        to ensure better access to state-of-the-art diagnosis, 
        research, clinical care, and education for traumatic brain 
        injury and epilepsy throughout the health-care system of the 
        Department. Such consortium should include a designated 
        epilepsy referral clinic in each Veterans Integrated Service 
        Network.
            ``(7) The capability to assist in the expansion of the 
        Department's use of information systems and databases to 
        improve the quality and delivery of care for veterans enrolled 
        within the Department's health care system.
            ``(8) The capability to assist in the expansion of the 
        Department telehealth program to develop, transmit, monitor, 
        and review neurological diagnostic tests.
            ``(9) The ability to perform epilepsy research, education, 
        and clinical care activities in collaboration with Department 
        medical facilities that have centers for research, education, 
        and clinical care activities on complex multi-trauma associated 
        with combat injuries established under section 7327 of this 
        title.
    ``(e) National Coordinator for Epilepsy Programs.--(1) To assist 
the Secretary and the Under Secretary for Health in carrying out this 
section, the Secretary shall designate an individual in the Veterans 
Health Administration to act as a national coordinator for epilepsy 
programs of the Veterans Health Administration.
    ``(2) The duties of the national coordinator for epilepsy programs 
shall include the following:
            ``(A) To supervise the operation of the centers established 
        pursuant to this section.
            ``(B) To coordinate and support the national consortium of 
        providers with interest in treating epilepsy at Department 
        health-care facilities lacking such centers in order to ensure 
        better access to state-of-the-art diagnosis, research, clinical 
        care, and education for traumatic brain injury and epilepsy 
        throughout the health-care system of the Department.
            ``(C) To conduct regular evaluations of the epilepsy 
        centers of excellence to ensure compliance  with the 
        requirements of this section.
    ``(3) In carrying out duties under this subsection, the national 
coordinator for epilepsy programs shall report to the official of the 
Veterans Health Administration responsible for neurology.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There are authorized to 
be appropriated $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 
for the support of the clinical care, research, and education 
activities of the epilepsy centers of excellence established and 
operated pursuant to subsection (a)(2).
    ``(2) There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year 
after fiscal year 2012 such sums as may be necessary for the support of 
the clinical care, research, and education activities of the epilepsy 
centers of excellence established and operated pursuant to subsection 
(a)(2).
    ``(3) The Secretary shall ensure that funds for such centers are 
designated for the first three years of operation as a special purpose 
program for which funds are not allocated through the Veterans 
Equitable Resource Allocation system.
    ``(4) In addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
paragraphs (1) and (2) for a fiscal year, the Under Secretary for 
Health shall allocate to such centers from other funds appropriated 
generally for the Department medical services account and medical and 
prosthetics research account, as appropriate, such amounts as the Under 
Secretary for Health determines appropriate.
    ``(5) In addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
paragraphs (1) and (2) for a fiscal year, there are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to fund the national 
coordinator established by subsection (e).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 73 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 7330 the following new item:

``7330A. Epilepsy centers of excellence.''.