Plan would provide innovative treatment for PTSD, TBI at no cost to veterans

State Rep. Kathy Schmaltz today led the Michigan House in approving a plan to give veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) access to additional treatment options at no cost.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an emerging treatment that increases oxygen delivery to damaged tissue to promote healing. It involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber, allowing the lungs to absorb significantly more oxygen than under normal conditions. According to the Mayo Clinic, the therapy can support healing by promoting new blood vessel growth, improving tissue repair, and enhancing immune function. Research has also shown hyperbaric oxygen therapy may help reduce symptoms associated with PTSD and TBI.

Meanwhile, traditional treatments for PTSD and TBI have shown limited success, leaving many veterans still struggling with the long-term effects of their service.

“Our veterans shouldn’t be left without options when the treatments they’ve tried aren’t helping,” Schmaltz said. “I’m working hard to give them access to a promising therapy that could improve their quality of life and help them heal.”

House Bills 5456-5457 would establish a three-year pilot program providing eligible Michigan veterans with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Under the legislation, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, would oversee the program and provide grants to qualified providers to ensure treatment is offered free to eligible veterans. Veterans must have a documented diagnosis related to their service and receive a prescription from a licensed medical provider.

Schmaltz noted that her plan includes strict safety and oversight standards, requiring approved providers to meet federal and industry guidelines, maintain trained medical and safety personnel, and follow established treatment protocols.

As chair of the House Families and Veterans Committee, Schmaltz has led the effort to advance the plan, bringing together medical professionals and veterans to testify in support of expanding treatment options. Among them was retired Air Force veteran and hyperbaric oxygen therapy advocate Kevin Hensley, who shared firsthand how the treatment changed his life after he received care while temporarily living in Arizona.

“I had over 48 prescriptions and 48 pills that I was taking on a daily basis. I couldn’t even remember if I took a pill two seconds after I took it. That’s how bad my cognitive function was,”  Hensley said. “I could not remember what was written if you asked me what was on that piece of paper right after I had read it. By the time I went through hyperbaric oxygen treatment, I was reading 300- to 400-page books, and I could give you the cliff notes on the books that I was reading. It’s an amazing thing.”

He also described seeing other veterans experience dramatic improvements.

“I saw veterans that had guns in their mouths a couple days before treatment that went through this chamber with me and said they still had the same body, but their mentality was way different,” Hensley said. “I saw a stroke victim that was a veteran. She could not even talk out of the side of her mouth. She would drool on the side of her mouth because of the incidents of the stroke. By the time I was done (with treatment), she was talking to me in regular conversation.”

Schmaltz said Hensley first brought the idea to her and after doing some research she knew she wanted to bring a hyperbaric oxygen therapy program to Michigan.

“Our veterans stepped up to serve our country, and we have a responsibility to step up for them,” Schmaltz said. “If this hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help even a fraction of them find relief, it’s worth pursuing.”

The plan now advances to the Senate for further consideration.