Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
The bill requires the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense to furnish stellate ganglion block (SGB) to enrolled veterans and servicemembers diagnosed with PTSD who elect the treatment after informed consent. It amends title 38 and title 10 to add provision sections allowing VA/DoD or authorized providers to deliver SGB under existing patient enrollment/TRICARE rules.
Assessment of clinical evidence strength for SGB
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a concise substantive statutory mandate that adds specific entitlements to furnish stellate ganglion block to eligible veterans and service members and requires a timely update to the VA/DoD clinical practice guideline.
The bill requires the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense to furnish stellate ganglion block (SGB) to enrolled veterans and servicemembers diagnosed with PTSD who elect the treatment after informed consent.
It amends title 38 and title 10 to add provision sections allowing VA/DoD or authorized providers to deliver SGB under existing patient enrollment/TRICARE rules.
The Secretaries must update the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD within 180 days to reflect SGB availability and clinical indicators/contraindications, and notify relevant congressional committees.
Narrow, pro-veteran statute with limited complexity raises chances; clinical-evidence and cost questions create friction.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a concise substantive statutory mandate that adds specific entitlements to furnish stellate ganglion block to eligible veterans and service members and requires a timely update to the VA/DoD clinical practice guideline. It integrates directly into titles 38 and 10 and identifies responsible Secretaries and a 180‑day guideline timeline.
Assessment of clinical evidence strength for SGB
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Assessment of clinical evidence strength for SGB
Generally supportive of expanded, accessible care for veterans and servicemembers, while emphasizing safety, equity, and rigorous oversight.
Concerned SGB is still an emerging therapy, so wants monitoring, data collection, and protections to ensure it supplements, not replaces, evidence-based mental health care.
Cautiously supportive of expanding a potential therapy for veterans, but wants safeguards on evidence, cost, and implementation.
Prefers phased rollout, clear clinical criteria, and reporting to Congress to limit unintended consequences.
Sympathetic to expanding care options for veterans and service members, valuing individual choice and rapid access.
Skeptical of mandates that obligate federal programs to widely provide an experimental therapy without stronger evidence and fiscal clarity.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Narrow, pro-veteran statute with limited complexity raises chances; clinical-evidence and cost questions create friction.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Assessment of clinical evidence strength for SGB
Narrow, pro-veteran statute with limited complexity raises chances; clinical-evidence and cost questions create friction.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a concise substantive statutory mandate that adds specific entitlements to furnish stellate ganglion block to eligible veterans and service members and requires a…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.