Veterans National Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2737 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2737

   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot 
   program to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to certain veterans 
       through community care providers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 9, 2025

Mr. Tuberville introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot 
   program to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to certain veterans 
       through community care providers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans National Traumatic Brain 
Injury Treatment Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO FURNISH HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY TO A VETERAN 
              WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY OR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS 
              DISORDER.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
implement a pilot program to furnish HBOT to a veteran who has a 
traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder through a 
health care provider described in section 1703(c)(5) of title 38, 
United States Code (in this section referred to as the ``pilot 
program'').
    (b) Locations.--The Secretary shall select two Veterans Integrated 
Service Networks of the Department of Veterans Affairs in which to 
operate the pilot program.
    (c) Accreditation Required.--The Secretary shall ensure that any 
medical facility at which a veteran receives HBOT under the pilot 
program is accredited by--
            (1) the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital 
        Organizations;
            (2) the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society; or
            (3) another appropriate organization that has expertise and 
        objectivity comparable to that of the Joint Commission on 
        Accreditation of Hospital Organizations or the Undersea and 
        Hyperbaric Medical Society.
    (d) Funding.--
            (1) In general.--There is in the general fund of the 
        Treasury a fund to be known as the ``VA HBOT Fund'' (in this 
        section referred to as the ``Fund'').
            (2) Sole source of funds.--The sole source of amounts 
        deposited into the Fund shall be donations received by the 
        Secretary for the express purpose of providing HBOT under the 
        pilot program.
            (3) Availability.--Amounts in the Fund shall be available 
        to the Secretary without fiscal year limitation to pay for HBOT 
        under the pilot program.
    (e) Termination.--The pilot program and the Fund shall terminate on 
the day that is three years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
    (f) HBOT Defined.--In this section, the term ``HBOT'' means 
hyperbaric oxygen therapy provided to a patient with a medical device--
            (1) approved by the Food and Drug Administration; or
            (2) issued an investigational device exemption by the Food 
        and Drug Administration.

SEC. 3. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON USE OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY 
              TO TREAT TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS 
              DISORDER.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives an 
update to the report of the Comptroller General published on December 
18, 2015, and titled ``Research on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to Treat 
Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'' (GAO-16-
154).
    (b) Elements.--The update required under subsection (a) shall 
include an assessment by the Comptroller General of clinical trials 
conducted since the publication of the report specified in such 
subsection--
            (1) regarding the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat 
        traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder; and
            (2) by--
                    (A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
                    (B) the Secretary of Defense; and
                    (C) private entities.

SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENTS OF PENSION.

    Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``November 30, 2031'' and inserting ``October 30, 2034''.
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