Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act
Sponsored By: Senator Ruben Gallego
Introduced
Summary
Innovative therapies centers of excellence would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to designate at least five VA medical facilities as centers focused on studying and delivering psychedelic and other innovative therapies for PTSD, depression, chronic pain, substance use disorder, Parkinson's disease, and related conditions. The centers would combine clinical care, education, and research and must partner with accredited medical, psychiatry, and social work schools.
Show full summary
- Veterans and families: Veterans could gain coordinated access to clinical care and research on therapies such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, ibogaine, and 5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine for covered conditions.
- VA facilities and clinicians: At least five facilities would be chosen through a peer review process and must show they can train residents, partner with accredited schools, and attract research talent.
- Research, data, and oversight: Centers would create a national data repository, run evaluations, coordinate care across VA facilities, and trigger reports to the Veterans' Affairs committees starting two years after enactment and annually thereafter.
*Would authorize $30 million per year for research and education at the centers, increasing federal spending.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
List of covered conditions and therapies
If enacted, the bill would define covered conditions to include anxiety, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, depression, Parkinson's disease, post‑traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorder. It would define innovative therapies to include MDMA, 5‑MeO‑DMT, ibogaine, ketamine, and psilocybin. The Under Secretary for Health would be able to add other conditions or therapies to these lists.
New VA centers for innovative therapies
If enacted, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs would designate at least five VA medical facilities as Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence, on the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health. The VA would establish and operate those centers only if Congress provides appropriations. The VA would only pick facilities that meet strict scientific and clinical merit and that show they have training ties, research capacity, veteran advisory committees, evaluation ability, and can collect national data.
Expert review and annual reporting
If enacted, the Under Secretary for Health would create a panel of experts to review center proposals and submit the panel's views. Panel members would serve staggered two‑ and three‑year terms and the panel would not be subject to chapter 10 of title 5. If enacted, the Under Secretary would also report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees within two years and then every year, including summaries, key findings, and recommendations.
Funding for centers' research and education
If enacted, the bill would authorize $30,000,000 to be appropriated for each fiscal year for the centers' research and education activities. This is an authorization; Congress would still need to appropriate the money. The Under Secretary for Health would also be able to allocate amounts from existing VA medical services and medical and prosthetics research accounts to support the centers.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Ruben Gallego
AZ • D
Cosponsors
David McCormick
PA • R
Sponsored 3/9/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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