Virginia Code 51.5-180: Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Advisory Board established; membership; terms; duties and responsibilities.
A. For the purpose of administering the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund, in cooperation with the Commissioner, there is hereby established the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Advisory Board, hereinafter referred to as the Advisory Board. The Department shall provide organizational staff support for the Advisory Board.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 51.5-180
- Advisory Board: means the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Advisory Board established pursuant to § Virginia Code 51.5-178
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. See Virginia Code 51.5-116
- Department: means the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. See Virginia Code 51.5-116
- Fund: means the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund established pursuant to § Virginia Code 51.5-178
- Neurotrauma: means an injury to the central nervous system, that is, a traumatic spinal cord or brain injury which results in loss of physical and cognitive functions. See Virginia Code 51.5-178
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
The Advisory Board shall consist of seven members as follows: one person licensed to practice medicine in Virginia experienced with brain or spinal cord injury; one person licensed by a health regulatory board within the Department of Health Professions with experience in brain or spinal cord injury rehabilitative programs or services; one Virginian with traumatic spinal cord injury or a caretaker thereof; one Virginian with traumatic brain injury or a caretaker thereof; one citizen-at-large who shall not be an elected or appointed public official; the Commissioner; and the State Health Commissioner. The Commissioner and the Commissioner of Health may appoint designees to serve on the Advisory Board. Board members shall be appointed by the Governor. Nominations for appointments may be submitted, at the discretion of the Governor, from relevant organizations.
B. All members shall be appointed by the Governor for terms of four years. No member shall serve more than two successive terms of four years. The chairman shall be elected from the membership of the Advisory Board for a term of one year and shall be eligible for reelection. The Advisory Board shall meet at the call of the chairman or the Commissioner.
C. The Advisory Board shall:
1. Administer, in cooperation with the Commissioner, the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund, in accordance with such regulations as shall be established for the Fund by the Commissioner;
2. Recommend to the Commissioner the policies and procedures for the administration of the Fund, including criteria for reviewing and ranking grant applications, distribution of funds, and areas of research needed in accordance with the provisions of subsection B of § 51.5-179;
3. Review and rank, or arrange for reviewers and technical advisers to review and rank, grant applications for education, basic science and clinical research, and rehabilitative research and community-based rehabilitative services; and
4. Report triennially on October 1, to the Governor and the General Assembly, aggregate data on the operations and funding of the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund.
D. The Advisory Board may appoint grant reviewers and other technical advisers to assist it in its duties. Such reviewers and technical advisers shall be appointed in such manner as to provide equal representation from Virginia’s three medical schools. Whenever reviewers or technical advisers sit as a committee, the chairman of the Advisory Board or his designee shall serve as chairman.