(v) a policymaking advisory committee composed of appropriate mental health-care and research personnel of the facility and of the affiliated school or schools to advise the directors of the facility and the center on policy matters pertaining to the activities of the center during the period of the operation of the center; and

(vi) the capability to evaluate effectively the activities of the center, including activities relating to the evaluation of specific efforts to improve the quality and effectiveness of mental health services provided by the Department at or through individual facilities.

(5)(A) In order to provide advice to assist the Under Secretary for Health and the Secretary to carry out their responsibilities under this section, the official within the Central Office of the Veterans Health Administration responsible for mental health and behavioral sciences matters shall establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the establishment of new centers under this subsection.

(B) The membership of the panel shall consist of experts in the fields of mental health research, education and training, and clinical care. Members of the panel shall serve as consultants to the Department for a period of no longer than six months.

(C) The panel shall review each proposal submitted to the panel by the official referred to in subparagraph (A) and shall submit its views on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each such proposal to that official.

(D) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).

(c) Clinical and scientific investigation activities at each center may compete for the award of funding from amounts appropriated for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research account and shall receive priority in the award of funding from such account insofar as funds are awarded to projects and activities relating mental illness.

(d) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that at least three centers designated under subsection (b)(1)(A) emphasize research into means of improving the quality of care for veterans suffering from mental illness through the development of communitybased alternatives to institutional treatment for such illness.

(e) The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that useful information produced by the research, education and training, and clinical activities of the centers established under subsection (b)(1) is disseminated throughout the Veterans Health Administration through publications and through programs of continuing medical and related education provided through regional medical education centers under subchapter VI of chapter 74 of this title and through other means.

(f) The official within the Central Office of the Veterans Health Administration responsible for mental health and behavioral sciences matters shall be responsible for supervising the operation of the centers established pursuant to subsection (b)(1).

(g)(1) There are authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the basic support of the research and edu

cation and training activities of the centers established pursuant to subsection (b)(1) the following:

(A) $3,125,000 for fiscal year 1994.

(B) $6,250,000 for each of fiscal years 1995 through 1997. (2) In addition to the funds available under the authorization of appropriations in paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Health shall allocate to such centers from other funds appropriated gen erally for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical care account and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research account such amounts as the Under Secretary for Health determines appropriate in order to carry out the purposes of this section.

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