I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 852 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant program to increase 
cooperation on post-traumatic stress disorder research between the 
United States and Israel. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2021 
Mr. WALTZ (for himself, Mrs. LURIA, Mr. ZELDIN, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. 
CRENSHAW, and Ms. WILD) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant 
program to increase cooperation on post-traumatic stress 
disorder research between the United States and Israel. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Israel 
PTSD Collaborative Research Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports 
that between 11 and 20 percent of veterans who 
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served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 
Enduring Freedom have post-traumatic stress dis-
order (PTSD) in a given year. In addition, that fig-
ure amounts to about 12 percent of Gulf War vet-
erans and up to 30 percent of Vietnam veterans. 
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports 
that among women veterans of the conflicts in Iraq 
and Afghanistan, almost 20 percent have been diag-
nosed with PTSD. 
(3) In the United States, it is thought that 70 
percent of Americans have experienced at least one 
traumatic event in their lifetime, and approximately 
20 percent of those persons have struggled or con-
tinue to struggle with symptoms of PTSD. 
(4) Studies show that PTSD has links to home-
lessness and substance abuse in the United States. 
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 
approximately 11 percent of the homeless population 
are veterans and the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration estimates that about 
7 percent of veterans have a substance abuse dis-
order. 
(5) Our ally Israel, under constant attack from 
terrorist groups, experiences similar issues with 
Israeli veterans facing PTSD symptoms. Tel Aviv 
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University’s National Center for Traumatic Stress 
and Resilience found that 5 to 8 percent of combat 
soldiers experience some form of PTSD, and during 
wartime, that figure rises to 15 to 20 percent. 
(6) Current treatment options in the United 
States focus on cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, 
or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, 
but the United States must continue to look for 
more effective treatments. Several leading Israeli 
hospitals, academic institutions, and nonprofits dedi-
cate research and services to treating PTSD. 
SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR INCREASED COOPERATION 
ON POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER RE-
SEARCH 
BETWEEN 
UNITED 
STATES 
AND 
ISRAEL. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Secretary of Defense, acting through the 
Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Re-
search Program, should seek to explore scientific collabo-
ration between American academic institutions and non-
profit research entities, and Israeli institutions with exper-
tise in researching, diagnosing, and treating post-trau-
matic stress disorder. 
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Defense, in 
coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 
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the Secretary of State, shall award grants to eligible enti-
ties to carry out collaborative research between the United 
States and Israel with respect to post-traumatic stress dis-
orders. The Secretary of Defense shall carry out the grant 
program under this section in accordance with the agree-
ment titled ‘‘Agreement Between the Government of the 
United States of America and the Government of Israel 
on the United States-Israel Binational Science Founda-
tion’’, dated September 27, 1972. 
(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section, an entity shall be an academic 
institution or a nonprofit entity located in the United 
States. 
(d) AWARD.—The Secretary shall award grants 
under this section to eligible entities that— 
(1) carry out a research project that— 
(A) addresses a requirement in the area of 
post-traumatic stress disorders that the Sec-
retary determines appropriate to research using 
such grant; and 
(B) is conducted by the eligible entity and 
an entity in Israel under a joint research agree-
ment; and 
(2) meet such other criteria that the Secretary 
may establish. 
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