MARTINS FERRY — Included in the Ohio Senate’s biennial budget are measures aimed at helping veterans combat PTSD and related veteran issues.

Sen. Frank Hoagland’s proposal would provide $12 million for a treatment program for veterans afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder. It will also expand this same program to include law enforcement and other first responders suffering from it, according to information from Hoagland, R-Mingo Junction.

The Ohio Veterans Drug and TMS Treatment project already is helping veterans across the state. TMS is transcranial magnetic stimulation, which is a kind of treatment for depression. The goal is to treat veterans who have mental health issues, addiction problems or both.

“The freedoms we have in this country wouldn’t be possible without our veterans. This budget will improve the lives of those who fought for this great nation, and that is what matters most,” Hoagland said.

With the passage of a separate bill, the program has been renamed the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Pilot Program.

“The bottom line is that this program saves lives and should be available for any of the brave men and women who have served this great nation,” Hoagland added.

One local supporter of the program is Adena native Dirk Harkins, a veteran who credits TMS for saving his life.

Harkins, who served with the 82nd Airborne in the U.S. Army, suffered a traumatic brain injury when his military vehicle struck a roadside bomb. He said the pills he received from his doctors to treat his injury eventually led to him becoming addicted to the drugs. With no end in sight to his suffering, Harkins reached out for help and got it at a TMS clinic in Texas. After a few treatments, he knew his fellow veterans in Ohio could benefit from the therapy.

A pilot program has been ongoing at the Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.

According to information from Hoagland, in addition to funding for the TMS program, the biennial budget also includes:

An additional $740,000 for 13 veteran groups across Ohio;

It appropriates $200,000 to provide temporary housing for homeless female veterans; and

It allocates $100,000 in each fiscal year for Save a Warrior to provide PTSD rehabilitation services.

According to information from the Ohio Senate regarding the biennial budget, “The two-year operating budget accounts for $74.5 billion of general revenue tax dollars. The bill now returns to the Ohio House of Representatives, where it is expected to be referred to a conference committee where the House and Senate versions will be reconciled. The Ohio Constitution requires a balanced budget be signed by the governor by June 30.”