Vallejo Times-Herald—Thompson bill to better treat soldiers, vets passes

Congress has passed a bill by Rep. Mike Thompson, which aims to improve treatment for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Thompson's office announced.

The measure heads now to the Senate.

Thompson, D-Napa, co-chairs the bipartisan Military Veterans Caucus. He secured the passage of his bipartisan amendment with Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, he said in a statement. The treatment expansion initiative was adopted as a House amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, he said.

"Our troops and veterans have earned the very best treatment and care that we can provide," Thompson said. "But sometimes the best treatments aren't available at military and veteran medical facilities. My amendment will make sure that our heroes who return from combat with TBI or PTSD have access to the highest quality care our nation has to offer."

Between 2000 and 2011 more than 230,000 service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, Thompson said. Up to 18 percent of U.S. military personnel returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms, he said.

Thompson's and Sessions' TBI Treatment Amendment creates a new five-year, $10 million pilot program that allows military patients to receive treatment from health care facilities outside the VA that are utilizing leading-edge, successful therapies to treat those conditions.