Congress, Provide Veterans Access to Life-Saving Treatments for TBI and PTSD

Nebraska has joined the growing list of states calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the alarming suicide crisis among veterans through legislation.

On April 9, LR293 was adopted with little national fanfare, receiving a unanimous vote of 43-0. But why is this Resolution deserving of being recognized nationally? Because it “[urges] the United States Congress to swiftly enact legislation to provide for veterans’ access to treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

The general public is largely unaware that Nebraska has become the fourteenth state to call for action from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to tackle the suicide crisis affecting veterans. Other states include Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Wyoming, Maryland, Virginia, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Missouri.

Introduced to the state legislature by Nebraska Senator Kathleen Kauth, LR293 explicitly requests that Congress pass laws to ensure veterans have access to treatments, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). In its most basic terms, HBOT is a therapeutic procedure that requires patients to inhale pure oxygen within a pressurized chamber, enabling the lungs to absorb up to twelve times the amount of oxygen compared to regular air pressure.

The Gateway Pundit spoke to Robert Beckman, the co-founder and executive director of TreatNOW.org, an organization that has effectively utilized hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to address TBI, PTSD, and concussion for 18 years. He explained, “HBOT is linked to near total reductions in suicidal ideation and depression and has improved memory, attention, and overall quality of life.”

Like LR293, Beckman calls on Congress to ensure that veterans have access to treatments for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This includes support for H.R.1336, the Veterans National Traumatic Injury Treatment Act; and any other legislation aimed at enhancing or authorizing access to essential therapies and counseling, as well as promoting research and development of new treatment options.

H.R.1336, in particular, requires the VA to “implement a five-year pilot program to furnish, under the Veterans Community Care Program, hyperbaric oxygen therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Beckman asserted, “Legislators need to pass legislation for treatments with some teeth, like HBOT, rather than those merely masking symptoms.” According to him, “drugs and talk therapy have proven inadequate to stem the veteran suicide epidemic.” All the while, he said, “both the VA and the Department of War continue to rely on them merely to cover up the symptoms of brain wounds—at a time when they require an effective treatment.”

HBOT is supported by decades of research, he said. “At least 28 clinical trials have demonstrated its safety and effectiveness in treating and healing brain wounds.” What’s more, he shared, “HBOT helps patients get off their drugs.”

In his opinion, “This is why Congress should take Nebraska’s urging and fund a treatment that will actually heal veterans.”

Beckman pointed out that Nebraska alone is home to approximately 115,000 veterans, noting that “this figure includes more than 20,000 veterans who are suffering from undiagnosed or untreated brain injuries, resulting in a multimillion-dollar annual financial strain on the citizens of Nebraska due to untreated TBI and PTSD.”

He stated that across the country, it is estimated that 17.6 veterans take their own lives each day, and the trend is on the rise. Since 9/11, he said that over 161,000 veterans have taken their own lives, which is nearly 23 times the number of combat-related deaths.

“The U.S. Government has allocated $5.375 billion to suicide prevention over the past decade, yet there has been minimal benefit in the results,” Beckman argued. “Sadly, more than 877,000 veterans carry untreated brain wounds right now.”

Over 180 clinics provide HBOT throughout the nation, with many offering their services free of charge. In light of this, Beckman said, “Ten Secretaries of the Veterans Administration over 25 years have been made aware of the science, safety, and effectiveness of HBOT, yet the institution continues to deny access to it and fails to inform veterans about its availability.”

“The best way right now to bring about change is by backing legislation similar to that of Nebraska and other states across the country, and urging those in Congress to listen to veterans’ voices,” Beckman lamented. “We beat the system when we become advocates for our nation’s heroes.”

Visit TreatNOW.org for additional information about HBOT and more.

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