Missouri committee hears bill to fund hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans with traumatic brain injury

Representative Chris Brown, sponsor of House Bill 262, told the House Committee on Veterans and Armed Forces that the bill would create the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Recovery Act, a fund administered by the Missouri Veterans Commission to reimburse clinics that provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to veterans at no cost to the patient.

"The V.A. don't cover it. Private insurance doesn't cover it," Brown said, summarizing the access problem he described to the committee. He said a full course of treatment is typically 30–40 "dives" and estimated about $175 per dive, or roughly $7,000 for a full course.

Why it matters: HBOT proponents told the committee that some veterans with TBI or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have limited treatment options, face long waits or cannot find facilities willing to treat brain injuries because Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs and many insurers do not list HBOT…