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.
Reps. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., and Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., rolled out their proposed “Beacon Act” 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.
During a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Cole Lyle, the American Legion’s veterans affairs and rehabilitation director, said the legislation is needed because current treatments, including medication, often fall short in alleviating symptoms.
“We believe veterans deserve care that reflects the complexity of their comorbid injuries, where healing does not happen with a one-size-fits-all bottle — care that brings innovation, research, community partnerships and, above all, hope,” Lyle said.
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.
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.
The bill’s Independent Research Grant Program would provide $625,000 awards for pilot studies and $1.5 million grants for research on alternative therapies for TBI.
Bergman and Elfreth say their bill would strengthen the VA’s ability to treat TBI by expanding access to new treatments.
“The 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,” said Bergman, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general.
“The Beacon Act strengthens the VA’s 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,” he said.
“As the granddaughter of a veteran who suffered from [post-traumatic stress disorder], I’ve seen firsthand the complex mental health challenges that our veterans and their families face. I’ve also seen how traditional VA treatments have come up short for decades to fully address the complex challenges our veterans face,” said Elfreth.
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.
“As I think about the soldiers I served alongside, I feel this issue deeply,” said McCormick, a former Army officer. “Our veterans deserve access to innovative and groundbreaking TBI treatments that will enhance their quality of life and finally address the suicide epidemic among servicemembers.”
The legislative proposals have the support of the American Legion, AMVETS, Avalon Action Alliance, With Honor, the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, University of Colorado Anschutz, Disabled American Veterans, America’s Warrior Partnership, Boulder Crest Foundation, Mission Roll Call and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“Studies and reporting show time and again a connection between service-related blast overpressure injuries and increased rates of suicide among service members and veterans,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor said in a statement.
“This bipartisan legislation,” he noted, “brings 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.”
Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.
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