H.R. 4655 — United States-Israel PTSD Collaborative Research Act

This section states congressional findings on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including that (1) 29% of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans, 21% of Gulf War veterans, and 10% of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD; (2) nearly 20% of women veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD; (3) 70% of Americans have experienced a traumatic event, with 20% developing PTSD symptoms; (4) PTSD is linked to homelessness (11% of homeless are veterans) and substance abuse (7% of veterans); (5) 12% of Israeli soldiers from the Gaza war experience severe PTSD; and (6) U.S. treatments (i.e., cognitive, exposure, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapies) could be supplemented by Israeli research.

This section establishes a grant program, administered by the Secretary of Defense (SecDef) in coordination with the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and State, to fund collaborative research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) between U.S. academic institutions or nonprofits and Israeli entities, carried out in accordance with the 1972 U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation agreement. Grants are awarded to eligible U.S. entities partnering with Israeli counterparts on PTSD research projects that address SecDef-determined requirements and meet additional SecDef criteria; applications must be submitted as required by SecDef. The section further authorizes SecDef to accept monetary gifts for the program (deposited in the Department of Defense General Gift Fund, subject to appropriation); requires SecDef to report to Congress within 180 days of each project's completion, describing grant use and evaluating success; and terminates grant authority seven years after the first grant is awarded.