# Senate panel backs bill to expand PTSD treatment for Kentucky veterans  
**Published:** 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z  
**Source:** [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB369-032626)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/senate-panel-backs-bill-to-expand-ptsd-treatment-for-kentucky-veterans

LEXINGTON, Ky. — [The Kentucky Legislature's research commission announced Thursday](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB369-032626) 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)](https://billtrack50.com/billdetail/1935814/55764), 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](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0264161). "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](https://www.baptisthealth.com/about/news-center/2025/baptist-health-hardin-offers-program-to-support-kentucky-veterans-with-brain-injury-or-trauma), 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](https://hbot4kyvets.com), a nonprofit organization that advocates for expanded access. [Nine other states have similarly enacted HBOT legislation, collectively appropriating over $32 million for treatments](https://treatnow.org/kentucky-funding-hbot-treatments-for-tbi-ptsd/).

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.

## Sources

- [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB369-032626)
- [BillTrack50 analysis of HB 369 provisions](https://billtrack50.com/billdetail/1935814/55764)
- [Peer-reviewed study on HBOT effectiveness for PTSD in veterans](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0264161)
- [Baptist Health Hardin HBOT program information](https://www.baptisthealth.com/about/news-center/2025/baptist-health-hardin-offers-program-to-support-kentucky-veterans-with-brain-injury-or-trauma)
- [HBOT4KYVETS program information](https://hbot4kyvets.com)
- [TreatNOW analysis of Kentucky and other states' HBOT programs](https://treatnow.org/kentucky-funding-hbot-treatments-for-tbi-ptsd/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Legislative Research Commission, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB369-032626.