TBI and PTSD Treatment Act
The TBI and PTSD Treatment Act would add a new provision to the VA health-care framework requiring the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, it creates a new section, 38 U.S.C. 1710F, authorizing HBOT for these covered conditions and directing that the therapy be provided through a health care provider described in 38 U.S.C. 1703(c)(5). In practical terms, this could allow the VA to offer HBOT either at VA facilities or through contracted non-VA providers, expanding access to this treatment option for veterans who have TBI or PTSD. The bill does not specify funding levels or clinical guidelines, so implementation would depend on appropriations, logistics, equipment availability, and provider networks.
Key Points
- 1Creates a new statutory section (1710F) to authorize hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans with TBI or PTSD.
- 2Covers two conditions: traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- 3Requires HBOT to be furnished through a health care provider described in 38 U.S.C. 1703(c)(5), which generally governs VA arrangements with certain eligible health care providers (potentially including non-VA providers under VA contracting mechanisms).
- 4Expands the set of approved therapies available to veterans within VA health care, outside the traditional pharmacologic or standard psychotherapeutic approaches.
- 5Does not specify funding, reimbursement rates, dosing protocols, treatment frequency, or safety/regulatory guidelines; implementation will require appropriations and regulatory/operational planning.