Chairman Moran Introduces Legislation to Improve Treatments & Technology for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injuries

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) - chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee - introduced legislation requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide annual preventive health evaluations for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI-D) and to expand access to assistive technologies to better support their needs.

The Veterans Spinal Trauma Access to New Devices (STAND) Act would create a preventative health program to allow any veteran who has been referred to or treated by VA for a spinal cord injury to undergo annual assessments of possible treatments for chronic pain, diet management, risk of comorbidities and assistance through prosthetic equipment. This legislation would also require VA to report to Congress the number of veterans receiving care through assistive technologies to determine how many veterans are being evaluated for spinal cord injuries on a yearly basis.

"Veterans living with spinal cord injuries continue to face the life-altering effects of their service long after their time in uniform has ended," said Sen. Moran. "With the right preventative health systems in place, and new and continued development of adaptive technologies, these veterans can not only manage their injuries but thrive in their post-military service lives. The Veterans STAND Act would allow veterans who have suffered a spinal cord injury or disorder to receive the care they deserve while maximizing their independence and mobility. I look forward to its passage."

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

Sen. Moran first introduced this legislation in 2024 during the 118^th Congress.

"We applaud the Veterans STAND Act for strengthening access to annual assessments for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders," said Heather Ansley, Chief Policy Officer, Paralyzed Veterans of America. "Regular, comprehensive reviews are essential to preserving health, independence, and quality of life - and this bill rightly ensures that those assessments consider the latest assistive technologies. By embedding technological advances into standard care, the STAND Act will help more veterans regain function, stay connected to their communities, and live with greater dignity."

"For veterans living with spinal cord injuries, standing is often described in symbolic terms, but its significance is far more concrete. The ability to rise upright affects circulation, bone density, digestion, and long-term organ function in ways that clinicians understand well. It also changes how a person moves through the world. Eye level and interactions shift. A veteran who can stand, even with assistance, experiences a degree of autonomy that is difficult to quantify but easy to recognize," said Sherman Gillums Jr., Senior Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. "Powered exoskeletons are one of the tools that make that shift possible. Expanding access to these technologies within the Department of Veterans Affairs is a practical step toward aligning policy with what medical evidence and the experiences of veterans themselves already make clear: when veterans regain the ability to stand, they regain strength, stability, and greater control over their daily lives."

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