The Beacon Act, introduced by Reps. Jack Bergman and Sarah Elfreth, would expand veterans’ access to mild-to-moderate TBI care by encouraging partnerships with academic institutions and non-VA providers. It would create a TBI Innovation Grant Program with up to $30 million in funding through 2028 and an Independent Research Grant Program offering $625,000 pilot awards and $1.5 million research grants. Supporters say the bipartisan bill will supplement VA care, accelerate alternative-therapy research and strengthen suicide-prevention efforts for service-related brain injuries.
Beacon Act Seeks To Broaden Veterans' Access To Innovative Brain Injury Care
From 2000 through June 2025, Defense Department personnel were diagnosed with nearly 497,000 mild to moderate TBIs. (Staff Sgt. Vernon Young/U.S. Air Force)
Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding veterans' access to treatments for mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) beyond the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Reps. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) and Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) announced the House version of the Beacon Act, which would foster partnerships with universities, nonprofits and non-VA health providers to deliver care and accelerate research into alternative therapies.
What The Beacon Act Would Do
The bill creates two grant programs to speed innovation and broaden treatment options:
- TBI Innovation Grant Program: Provides up to $30 million in grants through 2028 to nonprofits, academic institutions and non-VA health care providers focused on treatment and recovery, suicide prevention, workforce training and community outreach.
- Independent Research Grant Program: Funds pilot studies and larger projects with awards of $625,000 for pilot grants and $1.5 million for research into alternative TBI therapies.
Why Supporters Say It’s Needed
Defense Department records show that from 2000 through June 2025 nearly 497,000 service members were diagnosed with mild to moderate TBI. Most have received care at military or VA facilities, including the Defense Intrepid Network for TBI and Brain Health and the VA’s four polytrauma rehabilitation centers and 21 network sites.
“We believe veterans deserve care that reflects the complexity of their comorbid injuries, where healing does not happen with a one-size-fits-all bottle — care that brings innovation, research, community partnerships and, above all, hope,”
Sponsors say the Beacon Act would supplement existing VA services by bringing academic expertise and community providers into coordinated care pathways, expanding access to alternative and emerging therapies that some veterans have sought outside the VA system.
Companion Senate Bill And Support
A companion measure introduced in the Senate last November by Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) — the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Adaptive Care Opportunities Nationwide Act — advances similar public-private partnerships and research funding. Supporters of the bills include major veterans organizations and health institutions such as the American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, With Honor, the Marcus Institute for Brain Health and the University of Colorado Anschutz.
“This bipartisan legislation brings together government, academia, and the private sector to align and accelerate research and treatment for traumatic brain injuries to reduce the skyrocketing suicide rates among active-duty service members and veterans,”
The Beacon Act aims to improve treatment access, expand research into alternative therapies, strengthen suicide-prevention efforts and enhance training for providers caring for veterans with complex, service-related brain injuries.
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