WASHINGTON — This week, Representatives Lou Correa (D-CA) and General Jack Bergman (R-MI), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Psychedelic Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus, sent a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins, requesting a meeting to discuss the Department’s progress in making psychedelics and other innovative therapies as treatments available for Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, and other conditions.
“We were encouraged by your recent remarks about the importance of pursuing research into psychedelic treatments and other alternative treatments to improve Veterans’ care. The Department’s awarding of $1.5 million in funding for MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD and alcohol use disorder in Veterans last December was a critical step in advancing this research,” Correa and Bergman wrote. “Given the promising results of clinical studies on these substances and their therapeutic usage, it is our hope that we can work together to bring these therapies to Veterans in a safe and effective manner.”
In April, Correa and Bergman introduced the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that would increase federally funded research on innovative therapies to treat Veterans experiencing conditions like PTSD, substance use disorder, and depression. It is the first piece of stand-alone psychedelics-related legislation introduced by the PATH Caucus.
“Every day approximately eighteen Veterans commit suicide. We owe it to these warriors to explore all possible medical treatments to cure the invisible wounds caused by their dedicated service—because even one death is too many,” they added. “We invite you to meet with us at your earliest convenience to further discuss areas of potential collaboration regarding these promising therapies.”
You can read the full text of the letter HERE.
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ABOUT LOU: Congressman Lou Correa is a longtime Orange County resident, with deep local roots. To this day, he lives only three miles from his childhood neighborhood in Anaheim. He is the son of working-class parents whose hard work gave him a chance at success, and has spent his career fighting to protect the American Dream, and ensure anyone can reach the middle class, just as he did. In 2016, Lou was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to continue his work by representing the community he has spent the past 20 years serving, fighting to give everyone access to the same opportunity he had. Congressman Correa is committed to working across party lines to strengthen the middle class and give everyone a shot at the American Dream by investing in education, healthcare, and our fading infrastructure, and has introduced legislation to protect the legal rights of immigrants, care for veterans, and fight against the wasteful spending of taxpayer money.