I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3279 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department 
of Veterans Affairs centers of excellence for rural health research, edu-
cation, and clinical activities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 21, 2009 
Mr. RODRIGUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the 
Department of Veterans Affairs centers of excellence for 
rural health research, education, and clinical activities, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 
1. 
CENTERS 
OF 
EXCELLENCE 
FOR 
RURAL 
HEALTH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLIN-
ICAL ACTIVITIES. 
(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: 
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‘‘§ 7330B. Centers of excellence for rural health re-
search, education, and clinical activities 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS.—The Secretary, 
through the Director of the Office of Rural Health, shall 
establish and operate not less than one and not more than 
five centers of excellence for rural health research, edu-
cation, and clinical activities, which shall— 
‘‘(1) conduct research on the provision of health 
services in rural areas; 
‘‘(2) develop specific models to be used by the 
Department in furnishing health services to veterans 
in rural areas; 
‘‘(3) provide education and training for health 
care professionals of the Department on the fur-
nishing of health services to veterans in rural areas; 
and 
‘‘(4) develop and implement innovative clinical 
activities and systems of care for the Department 
for the furnishing of health services to veterans in 
rural areas. 
‘‘(b) GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSION.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that the centers established under this section are 
located at health care facilities that are geographically dis-
persed throughout the United States. 
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‘‘(c) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary may not 
designate a health care facility as a location for a center 
under this section unless— 
‘‘(1) the peer review panel established under 
subsection (d) determines that the proposal sub-
mitted by such facility meets the highest competitive 
standards of scientific and clinical merit; and 
‘‘(2) the Secretary determines that such facility 
has, or may reasonably be anticipated to develop, the 
following: 
‘‘(A) An arrangement with an accredited 
medical school to provide residents with edu-
cation and training in health services for vet-
erans in rural areas. 
‘‘(B) The ability to attract the participa-
tion of scientists who are capable of ingenuity 
and creativity in health care research efforts. 
‘‘(C) A policymaking advisory committee, 
composed of appropriate health care and re-
search representatives of the facility and of the 
affiliated school or schools, to advise the direc-
tors of such facility and such center on policy 
matters pertaining to the activities of such cen-
ter during the period of the operation of such 
center. 
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‘‘(D) The capability to conduct effectively 
evaluations of the activities of such center. 
‘‘(d) PANEL TO EVALUATE PROPOSALS.—(1) The 
Director of the Office of Rural Health shall establish a 
panel— 
‘‘(A) to evaluate the scientific and clinical 
merit of proposals submitted to establish cen-
ters under this section; and 
‘‘(B) to provide advice to the Director re-
garding the implementation of this section. 
‘‘(2) The panel shall review each proposal re-
ceived from the Secretary and shall submit its views 
on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each 
such proposal to the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) The panel established under paragraph (1) 
shall be comprised of experts in the fields of public 
health research, education, and clinical care. 
‘‘(4) Members of the panel shall serve as con-
sultants to the Department for a period not to ex-
ceed two years. 
‘‘(5) The panel shall not be subject to the Fed-
eral Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 
‘‘(e) REPORTS.—Not later than April 1 of each year, 
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
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centers established under this section. Such report shall 
include— 
‘‘(1) the results of research conducted under 
subsection (a)(1); 
‘‘(2) an evaluation of models related to fur-
nishing health services to veterans in rural areas de-
veloped under subsection (a)(2); 
‘‘(3) an evaluation of the education and train-
ing provided under subsection (a)(3); and 
‘‘(4) an evaluation of clinical activities or sys-
tems of care related to furnishing health services to 
veterans in rural areas developed under subsection 
(a)(4). 
‘‘(f) FUNDING.—(1) There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Medical Care Account and the Medical 
and Prosthetics Research Account of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs such sums as may be necessary for the 
support of the research and education activities of the cen-
ters operated under this section. 
‘‘(2) There shall be allocated to the centers op-
erated under this section, from amounts authorized 
to be appropriated to the Medical Care Account and 
the Medical and Prosthetics Research Account by 
paragraph (1), such amounts as the Under Sec-
retary of health considers appropriate for such cen-
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ters. Such amounts shall be allocated through the 
Director of the Office of Rural Health. 
‘‘(3) Activities of clinical and scientific inves-
tigation at each center operated under this section— 
‘‘(A) shall be eligible to compete for the 
award of funding from funds appropriated for 
the Medical and Prosthetics Research Account; 
and 
‘‘(B) shall receive priority in the award of 
funding from such account to the extent that 
funds are awarded to projects for research in 
the care of rural veterans.’’. 
(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 7330A the 
following new item: 
‘‘7330B. Centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical 
activities.’’. 
Æ 
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