Legislators in the House and Senate have introduced bills that would give veterans wider access to treatments for brain injuries at facilities outside the Department of Veterans Affairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reps. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., and Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., rolled out their proposed \u201cBeacon Act\u201d on Friday, aiming to foster partnerships with academic institutions and providers for treatment and finance research into alternative treatments for mild to moderate traumatic brain injury, or TBI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Cole Lyle, the American Legion\u2019s veterans affairs and rehabilitation director, said the legislation is needed because current treatments, including medication, often fall short in alleviating symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe veterans deserve care that reflects the complexity of their comorbid injuries, where healing does not happen with a one-size-fits-all bottle \u2014 care that brings innovation, research, community partnerships and, above all, hope,\u201d Lyle said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 2000 through June 2025, Defense Department personnel were diagnosed with nearly 497,000 mild to moderate TBIs, according to the department. The majority were treated at military hospitals or clinics, including the Defense Intrepid Network for TBI and Brain Health or the Department of Veterans Affairs, which maintains four polytrauma rehabilitation centers and 21 sites in a polytrauma network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the legislation, a TBI Innovation Grant Program would award up to $30 million in grants through 2028 to nonprofits, academic institutions and non-VA health care providers for treatment and recovery, suicide prevention, training and outreach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bill\u2019s Independent Research Grant Program would provide $625,000 awards for pilot studies and $1.5 million grants for research on alternative therapies for TBI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bergman and Elfreth say their bill would strengthen the VA\u2019s ability to treat TBI by expanding access to new treatments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe men and women who served our country deserve access to the best care available, especially when it comes to invisible injuries like traumatic brain injury,\u201d said Bergman, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Beacon Act strengthens the VA\u2019s ability to deliver modern, effective care by bringing proven innovation, academic expertise, and community partnerships to the table, while supporting the important work the VA is already doing,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs the granddaughter of a veteran who suffered from [post-traumatic stress disorder], I\u2019ve seen firsthand the complex mental health challenges that our veterans and their families face. I\u2019ve also seen how traditional VA treatments have come up short for decades to fully address the complex challenges our veterans face,\u201d said Elfreth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A similar bill was introduced last November in the Senate by Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick and Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen. Their bill, the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Adaptive Care Opportunities Nationwide Act, also would promote partnerships and develop research through similar grant programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs I think about the soldiers I served alongside, I feel this issue deeply,\u201d said McCormick, a former Army officer. \u201cOur veterans deserve access to innovative and groundbreaking TBI treatments that will enhance their quality of life and finally address the suicide epidemic among servicemembers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legislative proposals have the support of the American Legion, AMVETS, Avalon Action Alliance, With Honor,\u202fthe Marcus Institute for Brain Health, University of Colorado Anschutz, Disabled American Veterans, America\u2019s Warrior Partnership, Boulder Crest Foundation, Mission Roll Call and Veterans of Foreign Wars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStudies and reporting show time and again a connection between service-related blast overpressure injuries and increased rates of suicide among service members and veterans,\u201d said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor said in a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis bipartisan legislation,\u201d he noted, \u201cbrings together government, academia, and the private sector to align and accelerate research and treatment for traumatic brain injuries to reduce the skyrocketing suicide rates among active-duty service members and veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Under the legislation, a TBI Innovation Grant Program would award up to $30 million in grants through 2028 to non-VA health care providers, among others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":110601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,12,25,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3223],"class_list":["post-74579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"CYUWVPVWX5AETBY27BHS4FOOPQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2026\/01\/12\/lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-broaden-brain-injury-treatment-for-vets\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n