H.R. 8172

VA Research Technology Act

This bill addresses clinical research procedures within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Specifically, the bill requires the VA to complete policy revisions within the internal directive titled Requirements for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research to allow sponsored clinical research of the VA to use accredited commercial institutional review boards to review VA research proposal protocols.

The VA must identify accredited commercial institutional review boards for use in connection with sponsored clinical research of the VA and establish a process to modify existing approvals if a board loses its accreditation during an ongoing clinical trial.

The bill also requires the VA to establish an Office of Research Reviews within the VA's Office of Information and Technology. The office shall (1) perform centralized security reviews and complete security processes for approved research sponsored outside the VA, (2) develop and maintain a list of commercially available software preferred for use in sponsored clinical trials of the VA, (3) ensure such software list is maintained as part of the official approved software products list, and (4) develop benchmarks for time lines for security reviews.