Lawmakers introduce bill to authorize financial support for "Havana Syndrome" sufferers

A bipartisan group of 15 senators introduced legislation on Wednesday that would authorize added financial support for U.S. officials who have suffered brain injuries resulting from "Havana Syndrome," a mysterious set of symptoms known to have afflicted scores of American personnel over several years.   

The measure would allow the CIA and State Department to provide financial assistance and other benefits to injured employees according to internally established, "fair and equitable" criteria, according to the legislation's text.     Individuals suffering from Havana Syndrome have reported a range of neurological symptoms, including vertigo, dizziness, ear pain and popping, nausea and intense and persistent headaches, and some have been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The syndrome gets its name from early instances of the illness, which sickened more than a dozen U.S. embassy and intelligence officials in 2016 and 2017 in Cuba.