,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fiic ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #i1 #bjbf,mr4 ,bergman 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,elfreth1 ,ms4 ,king-,hinds1 ,mr4 ,davis of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,van ,orden1 and ,mr4 ,luttrell7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to carry out programs to award grants to eligible entities to conduct research with respect to treatments for traumatic brain injury prospective randomized control trials for neurorehabilitation treatments1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans ,,tbi ,breakthrough ,exploration of ,adaptive ,care ,opportunities ,nationwide ,act of #bjbf or the ,,beacon ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs grant program for supplemental neurorehabilitation approaches to chronic mild ,,tbi treatment 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall establish a grant program 7to be known as the ,,tbi ,innovation ,grant ,program7 to award grants to eligible entities described in subsection 7b7 for the development1 implementation1 and evaluation of approaches and methodologies for prospective randomized control trials for neurorehabilitation treatments for the treatment of chronic mild ,,tbi 7m,t,b,i7 in veterans4 7b7 ,eligible entities described ,an eligible entity described in this subsection is any of the following3 7#a7 ,a nonprofit organization4 7#b7 ,an academic institution engaged in research with respect to ,,tbi4 7#c7 ,a non-,department health care provider with expertise in neurorehabilitative therapies4 7#d7 ,an entity the ,secretary determines appropriate for an award of a grant under this section4 7c7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity in receipt of a grant under this section shall use such grant to support activities that include-- 7#a7 designing and testing novel or integrative treatments for m,t,b,i that prioritize patient-centered care1 including non-pharmacological therapies2 7#b7 conducting clinical studies and assessments to measure the effectiveness of funded approaches to-- 7,a7 improve mental health outcomes among veterans2 7,b7 reduce suicidality1 and common risk factors for completing suicide1 including depression and substance use disorders among veterans2 and 7,c7 mitigate long-term effects of m,t,b,i2 7#c7 providing training for clinicians and outreach to veterans and their families to improve awareness and accessibility of innovative m,t,b,i treatments2 and 7#d7 establishing partnerships with community organizations1 academic institutions1 and health care facilities of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs to implement and evaluate best practices4 7d7 ,limitation on grant amount ,the ,secretary may not award an eligible entity a grant under this section in an amount that exceeds #e1jjj1jjj per fiscal year4 7e7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that the ,secretary determines have demonstrated experience in delivering or researching effective treatments for m,t,b,i4 7f7 ,program administration 7#a7 ,applications ,an eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary an application in such form1 at such time1 and containing such information and assurances as the ,secretary determines appropriate1 including a detailed description of-- 7,a7 proposed activities2 7,b7 expected outcomes2 and 7,c7 plans for evaluating effectiveness4 7#b7 ,periodic reports ,an eligible entity in receipt of a grant under this section shall1 not less frequently than annually1 submit to the ,secretary a report that includes1 with respect to the period covered by the report-- 7,a7 a description of how the eligible entity used such grant2 7,b7 a summary of the progress of activities funded with amounts from such grant2 and 7,c7 measured outcomes relating to such activities4 7#c7 ,oversight2 annual evaluations ,the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 ensure rigorous oversight with respect to the grant program under this section2 and 7,b7 on an annual basis during the period the authority to carry out the grant program is effective1 evaluate the efficacy of activities funded with a grant awarded under such program4 7g7 ,coordination with ,,va mental health services ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the grant program under this section aligns with the ,staff ,sergeant ,fox ,suicide ,prevention ,grant ,program of the ,department to-- 7#a7 provide for cohesive and comprehensive support for veterans with m,t,b,i and associated mental health conditions2 and 7#b7 increase research and development on integrated m,t,b,i and mental health interventions outside of the scope of traditional ,department of ,veterans ,affairs pathways1 interventions1 programs1 procedures1 and pharmaceuticals4 7h7 ,regulations ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section4 7i7 ,available amounts2 authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,available amounts ,the ,secretary may carry out the program under this section using amounts available to the ,secretary for general mental health care programs4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary #cj1jjj1jjj for fiscal years #bjbf through #bjbh to carry out the pilot program under this section1 which shall remain available until expended4 7j7 ,duration2 annual review ,the authority of the ,secretary to carry out the grant program under this section shall terminate at the end of the #c-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,during such period1 the ,secretary shall1 on an annual basis1 review the effectiveness of such grant program to determine the potential of such grant program for continuation or expansion4 #c4 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs grant program for independent third-party research studies and treatment with respect to supplemental neurorehabilitation treatments for m,t,b,i 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall establish and carry out a research grant program to award grants to eligible entities described in subsection 7b7 for studies and applied programs on approaches and methodologies for the treatment of ,,tbi in veterans4 7b7 ,eligible entities described ,an eligible entity described in this subsection is any of the following3 7#a7 ,an academic institution that conducts significant research on ,,tbi4 7#b7 ,a nonprofit organization with-- 7,a7 expertise in ,,tbi research and neurorehabilitation2 and 7,b7 demonstrated capabilities in clinical trials and ,,tbi treatment evaluation and patient care delivery4 7#c7 ,an entity1 or a partnership among entities1 that the ,secretary determines appropriate to receive a grant under this section4 7c7 ,applications ,an eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary an application in such form1 at such time1 and containing such information and assurances as the ,secretary determines appropriate1 including a summary of-- 7#a7 proposed research and treatment activities2 7#b7 methodology2 and 7#c7 expected outcomes4 7d7 ,grant categories 7#a7 ,in general ,pursuant to the research grant program under this section1 the ,secretary shall1 each fiscal year-- 7,a7 subject to the requirement under paragraph 7#b71 award four grants in amounts of not more than #fbe1jjj for exploratory or pilot research and treatment projects2 and 7,b7 award five grants in amounts of not more than #a1ejj1jjj for collaborative or multidisciplinary research and treatment initiatives4 7#b7 ,priority ,the ,secretary shall award not fewer than three grants described in paragraph 7#a77;,a7 to nonprofit organizations4 7e7 ,responsibilities of the third-,party organization 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall enter into an agreement with an independent third-party organization comparable to the ,national ,center for ,posttraumatic ,stress ,disorder of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs to-- 7,a7 administer the research grant program2 and 7,b7 carry out studies and implement efforts that include-- 7i7 analyzing data from ,,tbi treatment methodologies developed pursuant to the research grant program to assess the effect1 among veterans1 of such methodologies on mental health outcomes and long-term recovery2 7ii7 identifying evidence-based best practices and providing recommendations for further research or clinical application2 and 7iii7 randomized1 controlled clinical trials to-- 7,i7 validate and deliver treatments2 7,,ii7 establish a standard of care2 and 7,,iii7 improve access to such treatments for veterans4 7#b7 ,report ,the independent third-party organization with which the ,secretary enters into an agreement under paragraph 7#a7 shall submit to ,congress and the ,secretary a comprehensive report that includes-- 7,a7 the findings of the studies required under such agreement2 and 7,b7 recommendations with respect to the expansion of successful ,,tbi treatment methodologies and standard of care recommendations1 if any1 developed pursuant to the research grant program4 7f7 ,available amounts2 authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,available amounts ,the ,secretary may use amounts available to the ,secretary for the operating budget of the ,national ,center for ,posttraumatic ,stress ,disorder to carry out the research grant program under this section4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjbh to carry out this section4 7g7 ,reports to ,congress ,not later than two years after the date on which the ,secretary commences the research grant program under this section1 and on an annual basis thereafter during the period the authority of the ,secretary to carry out such research grant program is effective1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report that includes-- 7#a7 the findings of the studies under-- 7,a7 section #b7;f77#b72 and 7,b7 the agreement required by section #c7;e72 and 7#b7 recommendations of the ,secretary with respect to policy and programmatic improvements to services of the ,department to treat ,,tbi among veterans4 7h7 ,termination date ,the authority of the ,secretary to carry out the research grant program under this section shall terminate on the date that is three years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #d4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,the term ,,tbi means traumatic brain injury4 7#b7 ,the term treatment means clinical interventions1 therapeutic devices1 or rehabilitation care provided directly to a veteran with ,,tbi4 7#c7 ,the term veteran has the meaning given such term in section #aja of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4