A federally funded veteran psychedelic therapy program will be publicly announced but will have zero patients enrolled or treated by 2026-12-31.

A federal program offering psychedelic therapy to veterans will be announced (likely with media fanfare) but won't actually treat any patients before the end of 2026. This matters because it shows the gap between political promises and the hard regulatory and logistical work needed to actually deliver treatment.

Political incentives strongly favor announcement: bipartisan veteran support, Trump rhetoric, Congressional pressure. Operational delivery is blocked by DEA Schedule I status, VA formulary restrictions, absence of trained facilitators, and lack of approved protocols. History of VA pilot programs (e.g., cannabis research) shows multi-year lag between announcement and first patient. Resolves by checking VA press releases against documented enrollment figures — a clear binary.