VA Precision Medicine Act

VA Precision Medicine Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement the Precision Medicine for Veterans Initiative to identify and validate brain and mental health biomarkers among veterans, with specific consideration for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and traumatic brain injury.

The VA must develop data privacy and security measures to ensure the information of veterans participating in the initiative is kept private and secure. Additionally, the VA must make de-identified data collected under the initiative available for research purposes both within and outside of the VA. Data collected under the initiative may not be sold.

The VA must also assess the feasibility and advisability of coordinating efforts of the initiative with the Million Veterans Program.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8149 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8149

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out an initiative 
   to identify and validate brain and mental health biomarkers among 
                               veterans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 1, 2020

  Mr. Lamb (for himself and Mr. Bost) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out an initiative 
   to identify and validate brain and mental health biomarkers among 
                               veterans.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``VA Precision Medicine Act''.

SEC. 2. PRECISION MEDICINE INITIATIVE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              TO IDENTIFY AND VALIDATE BRAIN AND MENTAL HEALTH 
              BIOMARKERS.

    (a) In General.--Beginning not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
develop and implement an initiative of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to identify and validate brain and mental health biomarkers 
among veterans, with specific consideration for depression, anxiety, 
post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, traumatic brain 
injury, and such other mental health conditions as the Secretary 
considers appropriate. Such initiative may be referred to as the 
``Precision Medicine for Veterans Initiative''.
    (b) Model of Initiative.--The initiative under subsection (a) shall 
be modeled on the All of Us Precision Medicine Initiative administered 
by the National Institutes of Health with respect to large-scale 
collection of standardized data and open data sharing.
    (c) Use of Data.--
            (1) Privacy and security.--In carrying out the initiative 
        under subsection (a), the Secretary shall develop robust data 
        privacy and security measures to ensure that information of 
        veterans participating in the initiative is kept private and 
        secure.
            (2) Open platform.--
                    (A) Research purposes.--
                            (i) In general.--The Secretary shall make 
                        de-identified data collected under the 
                        initiative available for research purposes both 
                        within and outside of the Department of 
                        Veterans Affairs.
                            (ii) Research.--The Secretary shall assist 
                        the National Institutes of Health and the 
                        Department of Energy in the use by the National 
                        Institutes of Health or the Department of 
                        Energy of data collected under the initiative 
                        for research purposes under clause (i).
                    (B) Data may not be sold.--Data collected under the 
                initiative may not be sold.
            (3) Standardization.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
                data collected under the initiative is standardized.
                    (B) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult with 
                the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug 
                Administration to determine the most effective, 
                efficient, and cost-effective way of standardizing data 
                collected under the initiative.
                    (C) Manner of standardization.--Data collected 
                under the initiative shall be standardized in the 
                manner in which it is collected, entered into the 
                database, extracted, and recorded.
            (4) Measures of brain function or structure.--Any measures 
        of brain function or structure collected under the initiative 
        shall be collected with a device that is approved by the Food 
        and Drug Administration.
    (d) Inclusion of Initiative in Program.--The Secretary shall assess 
the feasibility and advisability of coordinating efforts of the 
initiative under subsection (a) with the Million Veterans Program of 
the Department, while seeking a population-based sample.
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