09.19.19

Hoeven, Cramer Introduce Legislation to Give Veterans Greater Access to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Legislation Builds on VA HBOT Clinical Demonstration Program, which Recently Expanded to Fargo VA

WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer today introduced the TBI and PTSD Treatment Act, bicameral legislation to direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

“We worked for more than a year to bring HBOT access to veterans in North Dakota and Minnesota under the VA’s clinical demonstration program,” said Senator Hoeven, a member of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Committee. “With that program now underway, we are continuing to move the ball forward by advancing this legislation. Our veterans deserve access to the best possible health care, and that includes alternative options like HBOT when traditional therapies aren’t delivering the outcomes our veterans need.”

“HBOT is an alternative, non-invasive, and effective therapeutic for those who served our nation in the most trying of times. This bill continues the momentum we started when the VA recently partnered with Healing with Hyperbarics of North Dakota in a Clinical Demonstration Program for veterans with PTSD,” said Senator Cramer, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “Our legislation builds upon that demonstration program by codifying HBOT as a covered treatment within the VA and expands access to veterans with TBI as well. I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and my Congressional colleagues on getting more access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy for our veterans.”

The legislation builds on the VA’s clinical demonstration program for HBOT, which recently expanded to the Fargo VA Health Care System. The local VA is the fifth location to be added to the HBOT program, joining VA systems in California, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas.

Click here to read statements of support for expanding veteran access to HBOT.

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