PUBLIC LAW 109–444—DEC. 21, 2006
120 STAT. 3311
‘‘(ii) the potential to carry out such purposes effectively in the reasonably foreseeable future. ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR DESIGNATION.—(1) The Secretary may not designate a Department health-care facility as a location for a center under subsection (a) unless the peer review panel established under subsection (d) has determined under that subsection that the proposal submitted by such facility as a location for a new center under subsection (a) is among those proposals that meet the highest competitive standards of scientific and clinical merit. ‘‘(2) The Secretary may not designate a Department healthcare facility as a location for a center under subsection (a) unless the Secretary (upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health) determines that the facility has (or may reasonably be anticipated to develop) each of the following: ‘‘(A) An arrangement with an accredited medical school that provides education and training in neurology and with which the Department health-care facility is affiliated under which residents receive education and training in innovative diagnosis and treatment of chronic neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis. ‘‘(B) The ability to attract the participation of scientists who are capable of ingenuity and creativity in health-care research efforts. ‘‘(C) An advisory committee composed of veterans and appropriate health-care and research representatives of the Department health-care facility and of the affiliated school or schools to advise the directors of such facility and such center on policy matters pertaining to the activities of the center during the period of the operation of such center. ‘‘(D) The capability to conduct effectively evaluations of the activities of such center. ‘‘(E) The capability to coordinate (as part of an integrated national system) education, clinical, and research activities within all facilities with such centers. ‘‘(F) The capability to jointly develop a consortium of providers with interest in treating multiple sclerosis at facilities without such centers in order to ensure better access to stateof-the-art diagnosis, care, and education for autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system throughout the health care system of the Department. ‘‘(G) The capability to develop a national repository in the health care system of the Department for the collection of data on health services delivered to veterans seeking care for autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. ‘‘(d) PEER REVIEW PANEL.—(1) The Under Secretary for Health shall establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the establishment of centers under this section. ‘‘(2)(A) The membership of the panel shall consist of experts in autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. ‘‘(B) Members of the panel shall serve for a period of no longer than two years, except as specified in subparagraph (C). ‘‘(C) Of the members first appointed to the panel, one half shall be appointed for a period of three years and one half shall be appointed for a period of two years, as designated by the Under Secretary at the time of appointment.
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