BEACON Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6993 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6993

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out programs to
 award grants to eligible entities to conduct research with respect to
 treatments for traumatic brain injury prospective randomized control
   trials for neurorehabilitation treatments, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2026

  Mr. Bergman (for himself, Ms. Elfreth, Ms. King-Hinds, Mr. Davis of
    North Carolina, Mr. Van Orden, and Mr. Luttrell) introduced the
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out programs to
 award grants to eligible entities to conduct research with respect to
 treatments for traumatic brain injury prospective randomized control
   trials for neurorehabilitation treatments, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans TBI Breakthrough
Exploration of Adaptive Care Opportunities Nationwide Act of 2026'' or
the ``BEACON Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GRANT PROGRAM FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
              NEUROREHABILITATION APPROACHES TO CHRONIC MILD TBI
              TREATMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish
a grant program (to be known as the ``TBI Innovation Grant Program'')
to award grants to eligible entities described in subsection (b) for
the development, implementation, and evaluation of approaches and
methodologies for prospective randomized control trials for
neurorehabilitation treatments for the treatment of chronic mild TBI
(mTBI) in veterans.
    (b) Eligible Entities Described.--An eligible entity described in
this subsection is any of the following:
            (1) A nonprofit organization.
            (2) An academic institution engaged in research with
        respect to TBI.
            (3) A non-Department health care provider with expertise in
        neurorehabilitative therapies.
            (4) An entity the Secretary determines appropriate for an
        award of a grant under this section.
    (c) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity in receipt of a grant under
this section shall use such grant to support activities that include--
            (1) designing and testing novel or integrative treatments
        for mTBI that prioritize patient-centered care, including non-
        pharmacological therapies;
            (2) conducting clinical studies and assessments to measure
        the effectiveness of funded approaches to--
                    (A) improve mental health outcomes among veterans;
                    (B) reduce suicidality, and common risk factors for
                completing suicide, including depression and substance
                use disorders among veterans; and
                    (C) mitigate long-term effects of mTBI;
            (3) providing training for clinicians and outreach to
        veterans and their families to improve awareness and
        accessibility of innovative mTBI treatments; and
            (4) establishing partnerships with community organizations,
        academic institutions, and health care facilities of the
        Department of Veterans Affairs to implement and evaluate best
        practices.
    (d) Limitation on Grant Amount.--The Secretary may not award an
eligible entity a grant under this section in an amount that exceeds
$5,000,000 per fiscal year.
    (e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
shall give priority to eligible entities that the Secretary determines
have demonstrated experience in delivering or researching effective
treatments for mTBI.
    (f) Program Administration.--
            (1) Applications.--An eligible entity desiring a grant
        under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application
        in such form, at such time, and containing such information and
        assurances as the Secretary determines appropriate, including a
        detailed description of--
                    (A) proposed activities;
                    (B) expected outcomes; and
                    (C) plans for evaluating effectiveness.
            (2) Periodic reports.--An eligible entity in receipt of a
        grant under this section shall, not less frequently than
        annually, submit to the Secretary a report that includes, with
        respect to the period covered by the report--
                    (A) a description of how the eligible entity used
                such grant;
                    (B) a summary of the progress of activities funded
                with amounts from such grant; and
                    (C) measured outcomes relating to such activities.
            (3) Oversight; annual evaluations.--The Secretary shall--
                    (A) ensure rigorous oversight with respect to the
                grant program under this section; and
                    (B) on an annual basis during the period the
                authority to carry out the grant program is effective,
                evaluate the efficacy of activities funded with a grant
                awarded under such program.
    (g) Coordination With VA Mental Health Services.--The Secretary
shall ensure that the grant program under this section aligns with the
Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department
to--
            (1) provide for cohesive and comprehensive support for
        veterans with mTBI and associated mental health conditions; and
            (2) increase research and development on integrated mTBI
        and mental health interventions outside of the scope of
        traditional Department of Veterans Affairs pathways,
        interventions, programs, procedures, and pharmaceuticals.
    (h) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations to
carry out this section.
    (i) Available Amounts; Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) Available amounts.--The Secretary may carry out the
        program under this section using amounts available to the
        Secretary for general mental health care programs.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
        to be appropriated to the Secretary $30,000,000 for fiscal
        years 2026 through 2028 to carry out the pilot program under
        this section, which shall remain available until expended.
    (j) Duration; Annual Review.--The authority of the Secretary to
carry out the grant program under this section shall terminate at the
end of the 3-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this
Act. During such period, the Secretary shall, on an annual basis,
review the effectiveness of such grant program to determine the
potential of such grant program for continuation or expansion.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GRANT PROGRAM FOR INDEPENDENT
              THIRD-PARTY RESEARCH STUDIES AND TREATMENT WITH RESPECT
              TO SUPPLEMENTAL NEUROREHABILITATION TREATMENTS FOR MTBI.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
establish and carry out a research grant program to award grants to
eligible entities described in subsection (b) for studies and applied
programs on approaches and methodologies for the treatment of TBI in
veterans.
    (b) Eligible Entities Described.--An eligible entity described in
this subsection is any of the following:
            (1) An academic institution that conducts significant
        research on TBI.
            (2) A nonprofit organization with--
                    (A) expertise in TBI research and
                neurorehabilitation; and
                    (B) demonstrated capabilities in clinical trials
                and TBI treatment evaluation and patient care delivery.
            (3) An entity, or a partnership among entities, that the
        Secretary determines appropriate to receive a grant under this
        section.
    (c) Applications.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under this
section shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at
such time, and containing such information and assurances as the
Secretary determines appropriate, including a summary of--
            (1) proposed research and treatment activities;
            (2) methodology; and
            (3) expected outcomes.
    (d) Grant Categories.--
            (1) In general.--Pursuant to the research grant program
        under this section, the Secretary shall, each fiscal year--
                    (A) subject to the requirement under paragraph (2),
                award four grants in amounts of not more than $625,000
                for exploratory or pilot research and treatment
                projects; and
                    (B) award five grants in amounts of not more than
                $1,500,000 for collaborative or multidisciplinary
                research and treatment initiatives.
            (2) Priority.--The Secretary shall award not fewer than
        three grants described in paragraph (1)(A) to nonprofit
        organizations.
    (e) Responsibilities of the Third-Party Organization.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall enter into an
        agreement with an independent third-party organization
        comparable to the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress
        Disorder of the Department of Veterans Affairs to--
                    (A) administer the research grant program; and
                    (B) carry out studies and implement efforts that
                include--
                            (i) analyzing data from TBI treatment
                        methodologies developed pursuant to the
                        research grant program to assess the effect,
                        among veterans, of such methodologies on mental
                        health outcomes and long-term recovery;
                            (ii) identifying evidence-based best
                        practices and providing recommendations for
                        further research or clinical application; and
                            (iii) randomized, controlled clinical
                        trials to--
                                    (I) validate and deliver
                                treatments;
                                    (II) establish a standard of care;
                                and
                                    (III) improve access to such
                                treatments for veterans.
            (2) Report.--The independent third-party organization with
        which the Secretary enters into an agreement under paragraph
        (1) shall submit to Congress and the Secretary a comprehensive
        report that includes--
                    (A) the findings of the studies required under such
                agreement; and
                    (B) recommendations with respect to the expansion
                of successful TBI treatment methodologies and standard
                of care recommendations, if any, developed pursuant to
                the research grant program.
    (f) Available Amounts; Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) Available amounts.--The Secretary may use amounts
        available to the Secretary for the operating budget of the
        National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to carry out
        the research grant program under this section.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
        to be appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for each of
        fiscal years 2026 through 2028 to carry out this section.
    (g) Reports to Congress.--Not later than two years after the date
on which the Secretary commences the research grant program under this
section, and on an annual basis thereafter during the period the
authority of the Secretary to carry out such research grant program is
effective, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that
includes--
            (1) the findings of the studies under--
                    (A) section 2(f)(2); and
                    (B) the agreement required by section 3(e); and
            (2) recommendations of the Secretary with respect to policy
        and programmatic improvements to services of the Department to
        treat TBI among veterans.
    (h) Termination Date.--The authority of the Secretary to carry out
the research grant program under this section shall terminate on the
date that is three years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``TBI'' means traumatic brain injury.
            (2) The term ``treatment'' means clinical interventions,
        therapeutic devices, or rehabilitation care provided directly
        to a veteran with TBI.
            (3) The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given such term in
        section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
                                 <all>