Under new direction from Chief of Staff Curt Cashour since early 2026, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has made it clear that it is prioritizing research and testing of emerging treatments ranging from MDMA for PTSD to GLP-1s for alcohol use disorder.
Now, its latest effort will evaluate the effectiveness of psilocybin for veterans with treatment-resistant depression. The endeavor will become the VA’s 20th active clinical trial exploring psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health conditions. These ongoing trials are funded by more than $23 million in external funding distributed by the VA’s Office of Research and Development
“Far too many Veterans are living with mental health conditions that don’t respond to available treatments,” Doug Collins, secretary for the VA, said in a press release. “Under President Trump, VA is pursuing all avenues to evaluate new treatments and offer meaningful relief for those who have worn the uniform. This clinical trial reflects another step toward this goal.”
Some of the VA’s other mental health and substance use disorder-related drug trials were launched within weeks of President Donald Trump signing an executive order that called for the accelerated FDA approval of psychedelics for serious mental illnesses and PTSD treatment — conditions that disproportionately impact veterans
But the VA has also leaned into strengthening other parts of the behavioral health care continuum. In May, the department announced that 96% of veterans who were deemed at risk of suicide completed a follow-up support plan within 24 hours
A lot of the activity to support behavioral health and addiction treatment in veteran populations has benefited from no federal funding cuts and fewer surprises compared to other departments like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
After taking office in 2025, the Trump administration announced plans to consolidate SAMHSA into a new entity, cut thousands of jobs from HHS and some related grants. Shortly after, it was revealed that around $28.6 billion in funding would be cut by the administration in health care and mental health-related spending for FY 2026
Yet, the VA was the only healthcare area that received a funding boost in the FY 2026 budget at that time. It was also not impacted by the volatility of the administration’s rapid cut and subsequent reinstatement of $2 billion in mental health and addiction treatment grants back in February
Both MDMA and psilocybin have been in an arms race to be the first psychedelic approved (outside of esketamine) for mental health purposes, but neither has achieved the milestone of FDA approval quite yet. While the President’s executive order and new VA-led trials are strong signals that one of the two could soon be approved for use in psychedelic-assisted therapy, the industry is a while away from the treatments becoming mainstream
Victoria Cvitanovic, an attorney who focuses on psychedelic law at Rudick Law Group, previously told Behavioral Health Business during an interview about the VA’s MDMA trial, that she suspects the industry will see FDA approval potentially even by the end of the year
“I hope that this clinical trial signals the fact that we are getting to a point where evidence-based medicine for mental health overcomes stigma around altered states of consciousness,” Cvitanovic told BHB previously. “While the executive order is exciting, it did not de-schedule or grant FDA approval to any substance.”
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Veterans Health Administration
