A new bipartisan bill would mandate the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish “innovative therapies centers of excellence” that would study and provide psychedelic-assisted treatments for veterans.
The legislation, titled the “Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025,” or S.4031, seeks to designate at least five VA medical facilities as specialized hubs for research and clinical care. Under the proposal, $30 million would be appropriated annually to fund these centers, which would focus on substances such as MDMA, psilocybin, ibogaine and DMT to treat conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to chronic pain.
The bill was introduced by Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) on March 9.
“Too many veterans are suffering without effective treatment options,” Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran, said in a statement accompanying the bill’s filing. “If emerging therapies like psychedelics show promise, we have a responsibility to study them and ensure veterans have access to the best possible care”.
“The VA can serve as a national proving ground … that could ultimately benefit patients across the entire health care system.”
To ensure high clinical standards, the designated facilities would be required to maintain affiliations with accredited medical schools, or schools of psychiatry and social work—partnerships that would be intended to provide specialized training.
The initiative is supported by veteran advocacy groups that see it as a necessary evolution of the VA health care system.
Melissa Lavasani, founder and CEO of the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, believes it has wider significance, as well.
“This legislation represents more than a research initiative; it’s a step toward building the clinical and policy infrastructure needed to responsibly integrate innovative therapies into modern health care,” Lavasani said. “The VA can serve as a national proving ground, helping generate the evidence and care models that could ultimately benefit patients across the entire health care system.”
Sen. McCormick said the bill would help the federal government catch up with rapid developments in the private pharmaceutical industry. In an interview with Military.com, he emphasized the importance of closing treatment gaps for veterans.
The legislation specifically targets “covered conditions” including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and substance use disorders, in addition to PTSD.
If the bill becomes law, it “will ensure the VA keeps pace with the private sector by expanding access to cutting-edge treatments like MDMA-assisted therapy,” McCormick said. “We owe them nothing less than our very best.”
The legislation specifically targets “covered conditions” including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and substance use disorders, in addition to PTSD.
“The bill was developed through consultation with stakeholders to ensure the framework reflects both scientific rigor and the real-world needs of veterans,” Amy Rising, a United States Air Force veteran and advocate with direct knowledge of the drafting process, told Filter. She added that the result is a “structured pathway” for the VA to evaluate promising new treatments.
Jay Kopelman, CEO of the veteran-oriented Mission to Live Foundation, heralded S.4031’s filing as a watershed moment. A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marines, he has advocated in support of the bill alongside Lavsani and her organization in recent months.
“Passing legislation that mandates the research and clinical trials of psychedelic medicines in the VA health system is a quantum leap forward in finally getting veterans access to the life-changing care that they so richly deserve here in the US,” Kopelman told Filter.
“I thank Senator Gallego and all who support this Act for their courage and recognition that we have a crisis in our veteran population,” he added. “As a former Marine, Senator Gallego knows and understands this better than most.”
The introduction of S.4031 follows a November 2025 announcement by the VA that nine facilities—including locations in Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bronx—are already participating in multi-year studies on psychedelic compounds.
In terms of the broader landscape of federal psychedelic policy reform efforts, S.4031 arrives alongside its House companion bill (HR 2623) as the third major piece of psychedelics-related legislation filed in the current session.
In December 2025, Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the Freedom to Heal Act. It proposes expanding 2018’s federal Right To Try Law, which granted eligible patients with life-threatening conditions legally-protected access to certain drugs that haven’t been FDA-approved—including Schedule I substances under DEA jurisdiction, like psilocybin, ibogaine and MDMA, that have undergone at least one round of Phase I clinical trials.
While the Freedom to Heal Act has garnered a number of endorsements from high-profile psychedelic and veteran advocacy organizations, it appears unlikely to advance further. Leaked email correspondence from the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee indicated that the bill lacks the necessary support, as DoubleBlind Magazine reported in February.
Photograph (cropped) of VA hospital in San Antonio by Bill Hathorn via Wikimedia Commons/Creative Commons 3.0
