This bill, titled the Treatment and Relief through Emerging and Accessible Therapy for PTSD Act (TREAT PTSD Act), would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide stellate ganglion block (SGB) therapy to certain veterans and active-duty service members who have PTSD. Eligibility hinges on enrollment in the VA health system (or TRICARE for active-duty members), a PTSD diagnosis, and an informed consent decision to receive SGB after discussing risks and benefits with a qualified health care provider. The act also directs VA and DoD to offer SGB through their own facilities or through qualified providers and to update the joint VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD within 180 days to reflect SGB availability and indications/contraindications. The changes take effect 180 days after enactment. In short, the bill would make SGB a formally available option for PTSD treatment within federal health programs, require guideline updates to include this therapy, and require notification to Congress about the guideline update.
Key Points
- 1Establishes new authority for VA to provide stellate ganglion block to veterans with PTSD who are enrolled in VA care, diagnosed with PTSD, and have given informed consent after counseling on risks/benefits.
- 2Establishes new authority for DoD (and TRICARE-covered active-duty members) to provide stellate ganglion block to service members with PTSD who are TRICARE-enrolled and have given informed consent after counseling.
- 3Requires the VA/DoD joint Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD to be updated within 180 days to reflect the availability of SGB and to describe clinical indicators and contraindications.
- 4Requires notification to congressional defense and veterans' affairs committees about the guideline update.
- 5Sets an effective date: the amendments take effect 180 days after enactment.