Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, right, makes remarks on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2025, at a legislative hearing of the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on health in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — New treatment for the devastating effects of traumatic brain injuries would be developed and tested in a $30 million pilot program that aims to expand rehabilitation programs for veterans to regain physical functions.
The Veterans TBI Breakthrough Exploration of Adaptive Care Opportunities Nationwide Act — also known as the BEACON Act — would direct the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to fund grants for nonprofits to develop, implement and evaluate non-drug therapies known as neuro-rehabilitation programs.
The bill is one of two pieces of legislation that the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on health heard Tuesday for advancing research and care for traumatic brain injuries.
Nearly one in five of the 2.5 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan sustained at least one traumatic brain injury, according to the VA. TBI has been diagnosed in 400,000 veterans since 2000.
The second bill, the Blast Overpressure Research and Mitigation Task Force Act, would establish a dedicated group to examine the effects of blast injuries that can cause TBI and explore strategies for treatment.
The subcommittee met in a two-hour hearing to get a first look at a dozen bills that focus on critical health care needs of veterans.
Other bills previewed Tuesday address opioid dependence, suicide prevention, post-traumatic stress disorder and the scarcity of doctors in some rural areas.
“The opioid epidemic is a disaster,” said Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, who testified in support of the NOPAIN for Veterans Act.
Opioids are powerful narcotics for managing pain, but long-term use can lead to addiction.
The bill would make it easier for veterans to obtain non-opioid medication from VA hospitals and clinics, Landsman said.
VA doctors currently are directed to provide opioids without considering non-addictive alternatives, he said.
Regarding TBI legislation, Wounded Warrior Project, Mission Roll Call and other veterans groups testified about the need to identify and treat veterans with the injuries.
Veterans with service-connected head injuries may develop serious mental health problems and are at greater risk of suicide, the groups said.
“Good policy begins with listening to the veterans’ community,” said Jim Whaley, an Army veteran and CEO of Mission Roll Call, which supports both TBI-related bills.
Veterans want quicker access to care — at the VA and in the community, he said.
“TBI has a spiraling effect. When access to care is early, the effects can be mitigated,” Whaley said.
The BEACON Act would send grants of up to $5 million to nonprofits and universities to test promising therapies for mild TBI, according to the bill.
The bill also prioritizes the development of rehab programs that do not involve treating veterans with prescription drugs. Therapies would include neuro-rehabilitation programs that help restore physical functions for people with brain and spinal cord injuries and diseases.
“Brain health must be a lifelong priority,” said Elizabeth McCoy, associate director of government affairs at Wounded Warrior Project.
McCoy emphasized the need for more studies to track brain injuries and gauge the effectiveness of treatments, which is supported in the BEACON Act.
But the American Psychological Association raised concerns about the bill.
K. Conwell Smith, deputy chief for military and veterans policy at the association, said the BEACON Act increases research on mild traumatic brain injury and mental health interventions outside the VA network. He said the bill could duplicate programs at the VA and dilute care efforts.
“This approach could undermine the bedrock of rigorous scientific study that is the gold standard of existing VA traumatic brain injury research and treatment,” Smith said.
