Rep. Steve Knight

Wednesday, Representative Steve Knight’s (CA-25) bill, No Hero Left Untreated Act, passed from the House Veterans Affairs Committee and is likely on its way to the floor for a vote soon. No Hero Left Untreated Act, H.R. 1162, would help veterans recover from post-traumatic stress (PTS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), military sexual trauma (MST), chronic pain, and opiate addiction.

“Our veterans face many challenges after returning home and it is our job to try to limit those challenges as much as we can,” said Rep. Knight. “I am proud to continuously offer new solutions for these challenges.”

H.R. 1162 would establish a pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on a promising neurological treatment option for mental trauma called magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy, also known as Magnetic eResonance Therapy (MeRT). This is an individualized non-pharmaceutical, non-invasive neuromodulation procedure that applies magnetic stimulation to restore proper brain function. To date, open label trials and placebo-controlled, double-blind studies indicate that over 400 veterans have reported a marked improvement in symptoms associated with PTS, TBI, MST, chronic pain, and opiate addiction. In one study done at Tinker Air Force Base, after 4 weeks of testing, specifically concluded, “Transcranial MeRT is a promising adjuvant treatment modality to help veterans suffering from PTSD.”

“As new technologies are proven to be beneficial to the health of others, we need to be on the front lines of expanding those technology options to our veterans. The No Hero Left Untreated Act would support those technologies and their access to our veteran community,” said Knight. “I thank the Members on the House Veterans Affairs Committee for being proactive on this bill and look forward to the support of my colleagues for the floor passage vote.”

The measure was initially introduced by Rep. Knight last year in the 114th Congress and passed the House of Representatives with unanimous, bipartisan support in November 2016. A new vote is necessary for the bill to pass the 115th Congress and hopefully receive a Presidential signature after Senate consideration. The bill currently has 54 bi-partisan cosponsors and it is supported by a broad coalition of Veterans Service Organizations, including AMVETS, Veterans Advantage PBC, Patriot Project, and the Veterans House Council.

“Magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy has successfully treated more than 400 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, chronic pain, and opiate addiction” said Joseph R. Chenelly, Executive Director of AMVETS (American Veterans). “This small pilot would be instructive to VA in understanding the benefits and deciding whether to offer this promising therapy to those receiving VA health care.”