Gallego Touts Bill to Expand Access to Innovative Therapies for Veterans

WASHINGTON – During a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing yesterday, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) called on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials to expand veterans’ access to innovative therapies to treat conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, and depression. The hearing included consideration of the Gallego-backed Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act , which would establish a dedicated Office of Novel Therapeutics within VA and ensure the department is prepared to safely evaluate and implement emerging therapies. Gallego fought to include measures in the bill from his Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act , to direct the VA to study innovative therapies such as psychedelic treatment for veterans. “Emerging therapies like psychedelic-assisted treatments offer real hope for veterans with PTSD when nothing else has,” Senator Gallego said at the hearing. “We certainly want to make sure veterans have safe access to all therapies. […] We want to give every opportunity to veterans to have a chance at dealing with their PTSD. Our bill would ensure veterans access to emerging mental health treatments as they become available.” Acting Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Patient Care Services at the Veterans Health Administration Dr. Mark Koeniger agreed that incorporating these therapies is important to VA: “We would be happy to work with you and the committee to find out where the gaps are in terms of what you are recommending and what the VA Is already doing so that we can go ahead and close those gaps.” “I think VA is moving in the right direction when it comes to these types of therapies, especially using psychedelics. My concern is we don’t codify this into law, should there be a change in administration, everything could go away,” the Senator continued. “What I can predict is a lot of veterans will always be seeking this type of treatment and would rather it be in house, treated, tested, and deployed under the guidance of the VA versus them going to parts of the world we would rather them not go to and potentially put their lives in danger.” Watch Senator Gallego’s questioning here .