With the passage of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, S.785, the battle shifts. The TreatNOW Coalition is working to expand the VA’s offering of HBOT for PTSD/TBI.  Based on current feedback from their HBOT Pilot Demonstration so far, results and data have demonstrated HBOT is safe and effective and uniformly successful in treating and helping to heal symptoms of PTSD (with or without TBI) and in treating wounds to the brain. With the suicide epidemic growing across all military services, the National Guard, the Reserves, the VA, Special Operations and in society, Congress should insist that HBOT be made available for all brain-wounded service members and veterans without delay. The MISSION Act anticipates the use of and payment for HBOT in the private sector, starting with the seven states which have already enacted legislation to make HBOT available to TBI/PTSD veterans, in addition to the the 100+ TreatNOW Coalition Clinics.

With the passage of S.785 in both the House and Senate, the stage is set for Congress and individual clinics to bring pressure on the VA to expand their Pilot to include both TBI/PTSD and to pay for treatments and ancillary costs.