II

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.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. MENTAL ILLNESS RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND

4 CLINICAL CENTERS.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 of

6 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the

7 end the following:
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1 ‘‘§ 7319. Mental illness research, education, and clini2 cal centers

3 ‘‘(a) The purpose of this section is to improve the

4 provision of health-care services to eligible veterans suffer5 ing from mental illness, especially mental illness related

6 to service-related conditions, through research, the edu7 cation and training of health personnel, and the develop8 ment of improved models for furnishing clinical services.

9 ‘‘(b)(1) In order to carry out the purpose of this sec10 tion, the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the

11 Under Secretary for Health and pursuant to the provi12 sions of this subsection, shall—

13 ‘‘(A) designate not more than five health-care

14 facilities of the Department as the locations for a

15 center of mental illness research, education and

16 training, and clinical activities; and

17 ‘‘(B) subject to the appropriation of funds for

18 such purpose, establish and operate such centers at

19 such locations in accordance with this section.

20 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall designate at least one facil21 ity under paragraph (1) not later than January 1, 1994.

22 ‘‘(3) The Secretary, upon the recommendation of the

23 Under Secretary for Health, shall ensure that the facilities

24 designated for centers under paragraph (1) are located in

25 various geographic regions.
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1 ‘‘(4) The Secretary may not designate any health2 care facility as a location for a center under paragraph

3 (1) unless the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the

4 Under Secretary for Health, determines that the facility

5 has developed (or may reasonably be anticipated to de6 velop)—

7 ‘‘(A) an arrangement with an accredited medi8 cal school which provides education and training in

9 psychiatry and with which the facility is affiliated

10 under which arrangement residents receive education

11 and training in psychiatry through regular rotation

12 through the facility so as to provide such residents

13 with training in the diagnosis and treatment of men14 tal illness;

15 ‘‘(B) an arrangement with an accredited grad16 uate school of psychology which provides education

17 and training in clinical or counseling psychology, or

18 both, and with which the facility is affiliated under

19 which arrangement students receive education and

20 training in clinical or counseling psychology, or both,

21 through regular rotation through the facility so as to

22 provide such students with training in the diagnosis

23 and treatment of mental illness;

24 ‘‘(C) an arrangement under which nursing, so25 cial work, or other allied health personnel receive
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1 training and education in mental health care

2 through regular rotation through the facility;

3 ‘‘(D) the ability to attract scientists who have

4 demonstrated creativity and achievement in research

5 into the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental

6 illness and into models for furnishing care and treat7 ment to veterans suffering from mental illness;

8 ‘‘(E) a policymaking advisory committee com9 posed of appropriate mental health-care and re10 search personnel of the facility and of the affiliated

11 school or schools to advise the directors of the facil12 ity and the center on policy matters pertaining to

13 the activities of the center during the period of the

14 operation of the center; and

15 ‘‘(F) the capability to conduct effectively eval16 uations of the activities of the center.

17 ‘‘(c) Clinical and scientific investigation activities at

18 each center may compete for the award of funding from

19 amounts appropriated for the Department of Veterans Af20 fairs medical and prosthetics research account and shall

21 receive priority in the award of funding from such account

22 insofar as funds are awarded to projects and activities re23 lating mental illness.

24 ‘‘(d) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure

25 that research activities carried out through centers estab-
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1 lished under subsection (b)(1) include an appropriate em2 phasis on the psychosocial dimension of mental illness and

3 on proposals of means of furnishing care and treatment

4 to veterans suffering from mental illness.

5 ‘‘(e) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure

6 that useful information produced by the research, edu7 cation and training, and clinical activities of the centers

8 established under subsection (b)(1) is disseminated

9 throughout the Veterans Health Administration through

10 the development of programs of continuing medical and

11 related education provided through regional medical edu12 cation centers under subchapter VI of chapter 74 of this

13 title and through other means.

14 ‘‘(f) The official within the Central Office of the Vet15 erans Health Administration responsible for mental health

16 and behavioral sciences matters shall be responsible for

17 supervising the operation of the centers established pursu18 ant to subsection (b)(1).

19 ‘‘(g)(1) There are authorized to be appropriated for

20 the Department of Veterans Affairs for the basic support

21 of the research and education and training activities of

22 the centers established pursuant to subsection (b)(1) the

23 following:

24 ‘‘(A) $3,125,000 for fiscal year 1994.
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1 ‘‘(B) $6,250,000 for each of fiscal years 1995

2 through 1997.

3 ‘‘(2) In addition to the funds available under the au4 thorization of appropriations in paragraph (1), the Under

5 Secretary for Health shall allocate to such centers from

6 other funds appropriated generally for the Department of

7 Veterans Affairs medical care account and the Depart8 ment of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research

9 account such amounts as the Under Secretary for Health

10 determines appropriate in order to carry out the purposes

11 of this section.’’.

12 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections

13 at the beginning of chapter 73 of such title is amended

14 by adding at the end of the matter relating to subchapter

15 II the following:

‘‘7319. Mental illness research, education, and clinical centers.’’.

16 (c) REPORTS.—Not later than February 1 of each of

17 1995, 1996, and 1997, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs

18 shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of

19 the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the

20 status and activities during the previous fiscal year of the

21 mental illness, research, education, and clinical centers es22 tablished pursuant to section 7319 of title 38, United

23 States Code (as added by subsection (a)). Each such re24 port shall contain the following:

25 (1) A description of—
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1 (A) the activities carried out at each center

2 and the funding provided for such activities;

3 (B) the advances made at each center in

4 research, education and training, and clinical

5 activities relating to mental illness in veterans;

6 and

7 (C) the actions taken by the Under Sec8 retary for Health pursuant to subsection (d) of

9 such section (as so added) to disseminate useful

10 information derived from such activities

11 throughout the Veterans Health Administra12 tion.

13 (2) The Secretary’s evaluations of the effective14 ness of the centers in fulfilling the purposes of the

15 centers.

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