LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Legislature's research commission announced Thursday that a Senate committee advanced a bill to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a treatment option for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

House Bill 369 would create provisions in state law for veterans to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), an evidence-based medical treatment in which patients breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. The measure was advanced by the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee, with Rep. Scott Sharp, R-Ashland, testifying that the proposal "would not cost the state anything."

Sharp, a U.S. Army veteran, noted that the bill defines PTSD and makes veterans eligible for treatment if they have a diagnosis attested to by their healthcare provider. Eric Koleda, a U.S. Air Force veteran and president of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Kentucky Veterans, testified that recent clinical evidence demonstrates the therapy's effectiveness for treating PTSD. "Since the passage of Kentucky's 2018 law for traumatic brain injuries, there have been over 28 clinical trials completed, with meta-analyses definitively showing hyperbaric oxygen therapy heals PTSD veterans," he said.

Kentucky already allows veterans with traumatic brain injuries to access HBOT under a 2018 law. An estimated 12,000 Kentucky veterans with traumatic brain injuries could benefit from expanded treatment access, with facilities now available at hospitals in Louisville, Winchester, Hopkinsville and Elizabethtown.

The state has dedicated $1.5 million to HBOT programs through Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Kentucky Veterans, a nonprofit organization that advocates for expanded access. Nine other states have similarly enacted HBOT legislation, collectively appropriating over $32 million for treatments.

Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, a retired Navy SEAL, said several of his friends have undergone HBOT and "swear by it." Committee Chair Sen. Matthew Deneen, R-Elizabethtown, noted that Baptist Health Hardin in his district operates hyperbaric chambers and is "doing a wonderful job." HB 369 now advances to the full Senate.