House Includes Congressman Sessions’ TBI Initiative in NDAA

As Chairman of the House Rules Committee, I secured approval of my amendment with Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA-01) to expedite innovative treatments to active duty soldiers suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Introduced as the TBI Treatment Act (H.R. 2344), my TBI treatment expansion proposal was adopted as an amendment to the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2014.

I’m delighted that my House colleagues have joined me in supporting this initiative to ensure that our troops have access to the most effective treatments available. By prioritizing treatment results over treatment location, our nation’s heroes who return from combat with TBI and PTSD will have the option to utilize an array of leading-edge therapies.

This amendment creates a five-year pilot program that allows military patients to receive care from private physicians who provide treatment options not currently available within military medical facilities. Physicians may qualify for payment from the Department of Defense through a “pay-for-performance” plan, meaning that they must prove that a patient has experienced demonstrable improvement in order to get paid. Safeguards in the amendment ensure that our wounded warriors have access to safe and innovative private treatments while reserving payment only for treatments that have been proven to work.

Our nation’s brave service men and women have made costly sacrifices for our freedom and prosperity. They deserve nothing less than to receive the most successful and highest quality care in America.