Politics
Senate Committee Takes Up Veterans-Focused Psychedelics Bill, With VA Officials Expressing Concerns
A U.S. Senate committee is taking up a bipartisan bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential psychedelics by creating a new office focused on the issue in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—hearing testimony from federal officials and veterans groups about the measure.
Representatives from VA testified that despite aligning with the “intent” of the bill, the department does not support the legislation itself and “does not believe a new office is needed to carry out the duties and requirements.”
Meanwhile, a Democratic senator said the Trump administration has been “better” on psychedelics reform than the Biden administration was.
The legislation—titled the Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act—is being led by Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and is cosponsored by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and John Boozman (R-AR).
The new VA Office of Novel Therapeutics contemplated by S. 4220 would help to advance the development innovative treatments for serious mental health conditions and assist in reviewing the scheduling status of drugs like psilocybin, ibogaine and MDMA.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee discussed the psychedelics bill, along with 24 other pieces of legislation, at a hearing on Wednesday.
Gallego, one of the bill cosponsors, said that “emerging therapies like psychedelic assisted therapies offer real hope for veterans with PTSD when nothing else has,” arguing that the government has “a responsibility to deliver the best possible care to our veterans.”
“We certainly want to make sure veterans have safe access to all therapies,” he said. “This is why I’m very anxious to get this going, because a lot of veterans are now going to Mexico and other parts of the world and getting unregulated therapies, which can be hit or miss—can be dangerous—and obviously we want to give every opportunity to our veterans to have a chance at dealing with their PTSD.”
Margarita Devlin, principal deputy under secretary for benefits at the VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration, told lawmakers in testimony for the hearing that the department has already established an Integrated Project Team (IPT) for psychedelics, “which has been proactively addressing the majority of the functions that would be assigned to the proposed office” under the bill.
“The IPT was established to inform [Veterans Health Administration] senior leaders on key issues associated with psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions, develop guidance for research and clinical implementation of psychedelic treatments at VHA, develop a program evaluation infrastructure to ensure VA has information to make data-driven decisions about psychedelic treatments, develop guidance describing resource requirements to support implementation, develop resources to support psychedelic treatment through community care, and develop communications for VHA to support the dissemination of accurate information on the use of psychedelics for mental health treatment to Veterans, clinicians, and other key stakeholders. As such, the bill’s requirements would largely duplicate the efforts of the existing IPT.”
She added that officials also have a number of technical concerns with the legislation as drafted, including their view that it would “result in duplication of functions or tasks that are currently performed by other VA offices” and would “require significant staffing focused on novel therapeutics rather than current areas of responsibility” without providing additional funding or hiring authority.
Gallego said during the hearing that he wants to make sure to codify into law a mandate that VA focus on psychedelics.
“Should there be a change in administration, everything could just kind of go away,” he said. “This administration has actually been better about working with psychedelics and veterans than the last administration.”
“I can’t predict what the next administration is going to be like, but what I can predict is that I know a lot of veterans are going to always be seeking this type of treatment,” Gallego said. “I would rather it be housed, treated, tested and deployed under the guidance of the VA, versus them going to parts of the world that we rather them not go to and potentially put their lives in danger.”
Mark A. Koeniger, acting assistant under secretary for health for patient care services at VA’s Veterans Health Administration, told Gallego during the hearing that “we understand that these novel therapeutics have a potential benefit.”
“What we want to do is to make sure that those are rolled out in a very objective and scientific way,” he said. “The VA is actually anticipating that some of this will be approved by the FDA, particularly in terms of research, and so we’re setting ourselves up to be able to do that rapidly.”
Echoing Devlin’s testimony, however, he said officials “want to avoid is that is a duplication of activities which would potentially make us less efficient.”
“We would be happy to work with you and the committee to find out where the gaps are, in terms of what you’re recommending and what the VA is already doing, so that we can go ahead and close those gaps,” Koeniger told Gallego.
Non-governmental witnesses who appeared at the hearing also offered their perspectives on the psychedelics bill.
Brian Dempsey, government affairs director for the Wounded Warrior Project, citied “unacceptably high” suicide rates for veterans, which he said “underscores that traditional mental health treatments have not produced durable improvements for all veterans.”
Innovative therapies like psychedelics “may offer new options for a subset of veterans who have exhausted existing treatments.”
“These interventions require a fundamentally different model of care, one that depends on specialized infrastructure, interdisciplinary teams, and rigorous safety oversight beyond what VA’s traditional mental health delivery system has historically supported,” Dempsey said.
Joe Chenelly, national executive director of AMVETS, said his group “supports the goal of improving readiness and establishing a more structured approach to evaluating and implementing novel therapies, including the emphasis on interdisciplinary care, patient safety, and post-treatment integration.”
“These elements reflect the evolving understanding that effective treatment for many veterans requires more comprehensive and supportive care models than traditional approaches alone,” he said. “At the same time, AMVETS encourages careful attention to how these efforts are implemented to ensure they remain evidence-driven, scalable, and accessible across the VA system. In particular, coordination with community-based providers, incorporation of peer support, and alignment with existing mental health and suicide prevention programs will be critical to longterm success.”
Sheehy, the bill’s sponsor, said when introducing the legislation last month that it will “help the hardworking men and women at the VA fulfill” their “critical mission” of caring for veterans.
The congressional action comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order focused on expanding and expediting research on the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, a move aimed at making substances such as psilocybin, ibogaine, LSD and MDMA more readily available to patients in clinical settings.
In line with the president’s order, federal health officials announced last week that they are taking steps they say will help with “accelerating” therapeutic access to psychedelics for patients dealing with serious mental health conditions.
If enacted, the Senate bill taken up at the hearing would direct the VA to take steps to streamline studies into psychedelics and other emerging therapies
This is one of the latest examples of congressional efforts to encourage scientific investigations into psychedelics, with a focus on military veterans with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorder, traumatic brain injury (TBI), chronic pain and more.
The bill’s findings section says that “emerging therapeutic interventions, including certain psychedelic-assisted therapies under evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration as of the date of the enactment of this Act, may significantly alter the treatment landscape for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health conditions affecting veterans.”
“The administration of certain emerging therapies may require intensive clinical engagement, interdisciplinary teams, dedicated clinical space, structured preparation, and post-treatment integration that differ substantially from traditional outpatient mental health services,” it continues, adding that VA is “uniquely positioned to deliver integrated, veteran-centered care that combines medical, mental health, and peer support services within a single system of care.”
That’s the only explicit mention of “psychedelics” in the legislation, and it doesn’t list specific psychedelic substances that would be prioritized for research, but that’s a common feature of recently filed bills touching on the issue, with various other examples using catchall terminology like innovative or novel treatments or therapies effectively serving as a stand-in for “psychedelics.”
Under the measure, a new Office of Novel Therapeutics would be established under the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to facilitate the research initiatives. Studies exploring the alternative treatments would focus on substances such as psychedelics that are under review for potential approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Absent centralized governance and implementation planning, the Department may face delays, safety risks, or inconsistent access following regulatory approval of such therapies,” the bill’s findings section says. “Establishing a dedicated Office of Novel Therapeutics will ensure that the Department is prepared to responsibly evaluate, research, and implement emerging treatment modalities consistent with patient safety and evidence-based practice.”
There would be at least one “Center of Excellence” to facilitate the program in each VA regional district to help develop a national model for the initiative. A Veteran Advisory Committee would be established, comprised of veterans, experts and health professionals, to advise on matters such as access barriers and safety protocols.
VA would also need to coordinate with other federal agencies—including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), FDA, Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), the Department of Defense (DOD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—to consider regulatory issues, possible rescheduling action for novel therapies and means of providing health care coverage for psychedelics access and treatment.
VA would need to furnish annual reports to Congress updating lawmakers on its progress. Within 180 days of the bill’s enactment, the department would need to report on practical considerations such as staffing needs and regulatory barriers.
The legislation is being supported by groups such as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans and Psychedelic Medicine Coalition.
The bill is somewhat similar in intent to another bipartisan measure filed last month, sponsored by Gallego and Sen. David McCormick (R-PA), that would provide $30 million in funding annually to establish psychedelic-focused “centers for excellence” at VA facilities, where veterans could receive novel treatment involving substances like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine.
A House companion version of the bill—sponsored by Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus co-chairs Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI)—was introduced last year, but it has not yet advanced in the chamber. The House and Senate measures are substantively identical, with minor formatting differences.
Lawmakers and advocates supporting such reform bills notably have allies in top positions within the Trump administration, including VA Secretary Doug Collins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who both embraced psychedelic policy reform ahead of the president’s recent executive order.
Kennedy recently told Joe Rogan on a podcast episode that the administration is “very anxious” to create a pathway for the novel therapies and that officials across federal agencies want to “get it out to the public as quickly as possible.”
Collins also disclosed last year that he had an “eye-opening” talk with Kennedy about the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine. And he said he’s open to the idea of having the government provide vouchers to cover the costs of psychedelic therapy for veterans who receive services outside of VA as Congress considers pathways for access.
Multiple veterans groups also recently advised congressional lawmakers about the need to continue exploring psychedelics and marijuana as alternative treatment options for the military veteran population at hearings on Capitol Hill. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) specifically cited the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act as an example of a reform they’re backing.
Correa and Bergman, the House sponsors of that legislation, separately filed a bill in January that would also promote research into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics in the treatment of serious mental health conditions experienced by veterans.
The bipartisan duo in January also discussed the importance of strategically advancing psychedelics reform in a way that mitigates bureaucratic conflict and the influence of outside interests. Even just one misstep could threaten to upend the movement, they said.
Last year, the VA secretary touted his role in promoting psychedelics access for veterans with serious mental health conditions, saying he “opened that door probably wider than most ever thought” was possible. The department in 2024 faced criticism after rejecting a grant application from an organization that helps connect veterans to programs abroad where they can receive psychedelic therapy to treat serious mental health conditions.
In June, Kennedy said his agency is “absolutely committed” to expanding research on the benefits of psychedelic therapy and, alongside of the head of FDA, was aiming to provide legal access to such substances for military veterans “within 12 months.”
The secretary also said last April that he had a “wonderful experience” with LSD at 15 years old, which he took because he thought he’d be able to see dinosaurs, as portrayed in a comic book he was a fan of.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Workman.
