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..................................................................... (Original Signature of Member)

119

TH

CONGRESS 1

ST

S

ESSION

H. R.

ll

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs as innovative therapies centers of excellence, and for other pur-poses.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. C

ORREA

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on

llllllllllllll

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Sec-retary of Veterans Affairs to designate medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs as innovative therapies centers of excellence, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-

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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Innovative Therapies

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Centers of Excellence Act of 2025’’.

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SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS DESIGNA-

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TION OF INNOVATIVE THERAPIES CENTERS

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OF EXCELLENCE.

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(a) I

N

G

ENERAL

.—Chapter 73 of title 38, United

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States Code, is amended by inserting after section 7330D

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the following new section:

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‘‘§7330E. Innovative therapies centers of excellence

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‘‘(a) E

STABLISHMENT OF

C

ENTERS

.—(1) The Sec-

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retary, upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary

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for Health, shall designate not less than five Department

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medical facilities as the locations for innovative therapies

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centers of excellence.

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‘‘(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for

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such purpose, the Secretary shall establish and operate in-

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novative therapies centers of excellence at the locations

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designated pursuant to paragraph (1).

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‘‘(b) G

EOGRAPHIC

D

ISTRIBUTION OF

F

ACILITIES

.—

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In designating Department medical facilities as centers of

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excellence under subsection (a), the Secretary, upon the

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recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health, shall

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assure appropriate geographic distribution of such facili-

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ties.

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‘‘(c) R

EQUIREMENTS FOR

D

ESIGNATION

.—(1) The

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Secretary may not designate a Department medical facil-

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ity as a location for a center under subsection (a) unless

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the peer review panel established under subsection (d) has

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3 determined under that subsection that the proposal sub-

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mitted by such facility as a location for a new center under

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subsection (a) is among those proposals that meet the

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highest competitive standards of scientific and clinical

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merit.

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‘‘(2) The Secretary may not designate a Department

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medical facility as a location for a center under subsection

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(a) unless the Secretary, upon the recommendation of the

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Under Secretary for Health, determines that the facility

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has, or may reasonably be anticipated to develop, each of

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the following:

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‘‘(A) An arrangement with an—

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‘‘(i) accredited medical school that provides

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education and training in innovative therapies

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and with which the Department medical facility

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is affiliated under which residents receive edu-

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cation and training in use of innovative thera-

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pies to treat covered conditions;

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‘‘(ii) an accredited school of psychiatry;

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and

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‘‘(iii) an accredited school of social work.

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‘‘(B) The ability to attract the participation of

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scientists who are capable of ingenuity and creativity

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in medical research efforts.

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