VA Research Approval Efficiency Act of 2020

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to allow for the use of commercial institutional review boards for research, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the VA Research Approval Efficiency Act of 2020 2. Use by Department of Veterans Affairs of commercial institutional review boards in sponsored research trials (a) In general Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall complete all necessary policy revisions within the directive of the Veterans Health Administration numbered 1200.05 and titled Requirements for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research (b) Identification of review boards Not later than 90 days after the completion of the policy revisions under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— (1) identify accredited commercial institutional review boards for use in connection with sponsored clinical research of the Department; and (2) establish a process to modify existing approvals in the event that a commercial institutional review board loses its accreditation during an ongoing clinical trial. (c) Report (1) In general Not later than 90 days after the completion of the policy revisions under subsection (a), and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on all approvals of institutional review boards, including central institutional review boards and commercial institutional review boards. (2) Elements The report required by paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the following: (A) The name of each clinical trial with respect to which the use of an institutional review board has been approved. (B) The institutional review board or institutional review boards used in the approval process for each clinical trial. (C) The amount of time between submission and approval. 3. Creation of Office of Research Reviews within the Office of Information and Technology of the Department of Veterans Affairs (a) In general Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish within the Office of Information and Technology of the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of Research Reviews (in this section referred to as the Office (b) Elements The Office shall do the following: (1) Perform centralized security reviews and complete security processes for approved research sponsored outside the Department, with a focus on multi-site clinical trials. (2) Develop and maintain a list of commercially available software preferred for use in sponsored clinical trials of the Department and ensure such list is maintained as part of the official approved software products list of the Department. (3) Develop benchmarks for appropriate timelines for security reviews conducted by the Office. (c) Report (1) In general Not later than one year after the establishment of the Office, the Office shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the activity of the Office. (2) Elements The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) The number of security reviews completed. (B) The number of personnel assigned for performing the functions described in subsection (b).

Summary: VA Research Approval Efficiency Act of 2020 This bill addresses clinical research procedures within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, the bill requires the VA to complete policy revisions within the internal directive titled Requirements for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research to allow sponsored clinical research of the VA to use accredited commercial institutional review boards to review VA research proposal protocols. The VA must identify accredited commercial institutional review boards for use in connection with sponsored clinical research of the VA and establish a process to modify existing approvals if a board loses its accreditation during an ongoing clinical trial. The bill also requires the VA to establish an Office of Research Reviews within the VA's Office of Information and Technology. The office shall (1) perform centralized security reviews and complete security processes for approved research sponsored outside the VA, (2) develop and maintain a list of commercially available software preferred for use in sponsored clinical trials of the VA, (3) ensure such software list is maintained as part of the official approved software products list, and (4) develop benchmarks for time lines for security reviews.