Senate passes Sen. Cramer's legislation to advance the study of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

 

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Senate Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Committee member, issued the following statement on the Senate passing the “Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act,” a bill containing provisions written by Senator Cramer to expand the VA Department’s research into Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT):

“On Saturday I heard another compelling story from a North Dakota veteran named AJ about the powerful difference Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can make in the lives of our veterans. Our legislation advances the study of this impactful treatment and will hopefully lead to more opportunities for veterans to receive it through the VA. I urge the House to pass our bill and send it to President Trump’s desk.”

Senator Cramer wrote the HBOT portion of this comprehensive legislation from his seat on the Senate VA Committee, which passed it in January. The Senator’s HBOT provisions:

  • authorize the Secretary of the VA to enter into public-private partnerships to research the effectiveness of HBOT,
  • require the VA to use an objective test to measure the effectiveness of HBOT treatment, and
  • commission a comprehensive review and study of HBOT, both within the VA and in outside organizations. This study would be completed with a recommendation from the VA about the effectiveness of HBOT.

This is the latest in Senator Cramer’s efforts to expand access to HBOT for veterans through legislation and administrative action. Last October, at Senator Cramer’s invitation, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and the Senator toured Healing with Hyperbarics of North Dakota, a Fargo-based HBOT clinic.

Learn more here.

Senator Cramer presided over the Senate as the bill passed by unanimous consent.