119-s800

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 800 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 800

 To modify the Precision Medicine for Veterans Initiative of the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 27, 2025

 Mr. Moran (for himself and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To modify the Precision Medicine for Veterans Initiative of the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs.

 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 ``Precision Brain Health Research Act 
of 2025''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF PRECISION MEDICINE FOR VETERANS INITIATIVE.

 

Section 305 of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental 
Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (38 U.S.C. 1712A note; Public Law 
116-171) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (a) , by striking ``and such other mental 
 health conditions'' and inserting ``repetitive low-level blast 
 exposure, dementia, and such other brain and mental health 
 conditions'';

    (2) in subsection
            (d) (4) , by adding at the end the 
 following new subparagraph:
 ``
        (E) Data-sharing partnership.--
 ``
            (i) In general.--The Secretary shall work 
 with the Secretary of Defense to establish a 
 data-sharing partnership between the Department 
 of Veterans Affairs and the Department of 
 Defense.
 ``
            (ii) Storage.--The partnership 
 established under clause
            (i) shall be stored in 
 the open platform made available under this 
 paragraph.
 ``
            (iii) Data.--The data supplied by the 
 Secretary of Defense shall include all relevant 
 data, Department-wide, collected through--
 ``
            (I) the United States Armed 
 Forces;
 ``
            (II) the United States Special 
 Operations Command; and
 ``
            (III) the Long-Term Impact of 
 Military-Relevant Brain Injury 
 Consortium Chronic Effects of 
 Neurotrauma Consortium maintained by 
 the Defense Health Agency.''; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
 ``

    (f) Repetitive Low-Level Blast Exposure Research.--In carrying 
out the initiative under subsection

    (a) , the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall conduct the following research:
 ``

    (1) A big-data assessment of the clinical and non-
 clinical interventions that are illustrating positive outcomes 
 for patients within the health system of the Veterans Health 
 Administration with likely low-level repetitive blast injuries, 
 including a categorization of military occupational 
 specialties, and units, known to experience higher levels of 
 low-level repetitive blast injuries.
 ``

    (2) Not fewer than two large-scale implementation studies 
 of research-proven interventions within such health system for 
 patients with likely low-level repetitive blast injuries, 
 including a categorization of military occupational 
 specialties, and units, known to experience higher levels of 
 low-level repetitive blast injuries.
 ``

    (3) A translational research study on the use of growth 
 hormone replacement therapy on the improvement of cognitive 
 function, quality of life, brain structure, and other negative 
 symptoms on patients within such health system with likely low-
 level repetitive blast injuries.
 ``

    (4) Not fewer than four large-scale quality improvement 
 studies on improving the diagnosis and care of veteran patients 
 with likely low-level repetitive blast injuries.
 ``

    (g) Assistance and Report by National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
the enactment of the Precision Brain Health Research Act of 2025, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to enter into a contract with 
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under 
which the National Academies shall--
 ``

    (1) work in tandem with the initiative under subsection

    (a) on validation of brain and mental health biomarkers among 
 veterans; and
 ``

    (2) not less frequently than once every two years, submit 
 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
 Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives 
 a report on the work completed under paragraph

    (1) .
 ``

    (h) Assessment.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
 conduct an assessment of all translational research studies in 
 progress and planned under the initiative under subsection

    (a) , 
 including research under subsection

    (f) .
 ``

    (2) Report.--Not later than 60 days after completion of 
 the assessment conducted under paragraph

    (1) , the Secretary 
 shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
 Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
 Representatives a report on the assessment.
 ``
            (i) Reports.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Not less frequently than once every two 
 years, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
 Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
 on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 
 on the initiative under subsection

    (a) .
 ``

    (2) Recommendations.--Each report required by paragraph

    (1) shall include recommendations for immediate administrative 
 and legislative action to improve the initiative under 
 subsection

    (a) .
 ``

    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $5,000,000 to carry 
out the initiative under subsection

    (a) for each of fiscal years 2025 
through 2034.''.
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