,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #cacj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,november #f1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,mc,cormick 7for himself and ,ms4 ,rosen7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to carry out a program to award grants to eligible entities to develop1 implement1 and evaluate approaches and methodologies for prospective randomized control trials for neurorehabilitation treatments for the treatment of chronic mild traumatic brain injury in veterans1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans ,,tbi ,adaptive ,care ,opportunities ,nationwide ,act of #bjbe4 #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 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 7in this section referred to m,t,b,i7 in veterans4 7b7 ,duration ,the authority of the ,secretary to carry out the grant program under this section shall terminate at the end of the three-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7c7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity in receipt of a grant under this section shall use amounts awarded under 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-- 7,a7 to improve mental health outcomes among veterans2 7,b7 to reduce suicidality and common risk factors for completing suicide1 including depression and substance use disorders among veterans2 and 7,c7 to 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 in which 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 mental health services of ,department of ,veterans ,affairs ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the grant program under this section aligns with the ,staff ,sergeant ,parker ,gordon ,fox ,suicide ,prevention ,grant ,program of the ,department under section #bja of the ,commander ,john ,scott ,hannon ,veterans ,mental ,health ,care ,improvement ,act of #bjai 7,public ,law #aaf-aga2 #ch ,u4,s4,c4 #agbj;,f note7-- 7#a7 to provide for cohesive and comprehensive support for veterans with m,t,b,i and associated mental health conditions2 and 7#b7 to increase research and development on integrated m,t,b,i and mental health interventions outside of the scope of traditional pathways1 interventions1 programs1 procedures1 and pharmaceuticals of the ,department4 7h7 ,annual review ,not less frequently than annually during the duration of the grant program under this section1 the ,secretary shall review the effectiveness of such program to determine the potential of such program for continuation or expansion4 7i7 ,reports to ,congress ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and not less frequently than annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report that includes-- 7#a7 the findings of the activities reported under subsection 7f77#b72 and 7#b7 the recommendations of the ,secretary with respect to policy and programmatic improvements to services of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs to treat ,,tbi among veterans4 7j7 ,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 7k7 ,funding 7#a7 ,available amounts ,the ,secretary may carry out the grant 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 grant program under this section1 which shall remain available until expended4 7l7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means 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 of ,veterans ,affairs 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 7#b7 ,,tbi ,the term ,,tbi means traumatic brain injury4 7#c7 ,treatment ,the term treatment1 with respect to ,,tbi1 means clinical interventions1 therapeutic devices1 or rehabilitation care provided directly to a veteran with ,,tbi4 7#d7 ,veteran ,the term veteran has the meaning given that term in section #aja of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4