The Office of the Governor announced Nov. 10, 2026, that California will make up to $4 million available to fund research on psychedelic treatments aimed at improving veterans’ health.

The announcement comes from the California Initiative for Precision Medicine, part of the California Health and Human Services Agency; the initiative will open a Request for Applications that funds partnerships between California non-profit academic research institutions and veteran communities.

The release said the awards will support projects conducted over three to four years that apply precision medicine approaches, involve veterans directly, aim to reduce gaps in health outcomes, and match treatments to individuals.

The state said California is home to nearly 1.5 million veterans and cited a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs figure showing 41.9% of recent veteran users of VA health care had a documented mental health or substance use disorder diagnosis in 2021.

Lindsey Sin, secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs, said, "Veterans bring unique life experiences that can shape their health and treatment needs."

Applicants must submit a non-binding, non-scored Letter of Intent by Dec. 18, 2026, followed by an initial application due Feb. 19, 2027; CIAPM posted application details at ciapm.chhs.ca.gov and provided an email contact at ciapm@chhs.ca.gov.

The release said the funds were allocated by AB 113, a budget trailer bill the governor signed earlier this year; it cited prior legislation, AB 1103 signed in October 2025 and AB 2841 signed in 2024, as actions that expedited and removed barriers to psychedelic research in California.

CIAPM described the effort as part of its broader work to support precision medicine, whole-person care and community-driven solutions to reduce health inequities; Dr. David Reiner, CIAPM’s chief science officer, said a precision approach can yield "meaningful and actionable insights about the whole person and their lived experience."

Sources & methodology

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Office of the Governor of California

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