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More Funding Necessary For Veterans Medical Research Program

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MORE FUNDING NECESSARY FOR VETERANS MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM -- 62 Senators sign on to bipartisan letter for veterans FY07 appropriations

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Ranking Member Daniel Akaka and Chairman Larry CraigApril 26, 2006

Media contact for Sen. Craig: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

Media contact for Sen. Akaka: Donalyn Donalyn Dela Cruz (202) 224-6361

Washington, DC - Today Senators Larry Craig (R-ID) and Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Chairman and Ranking member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, sent a letter to its appropriations subcommittee urging an increase in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Medical and Prosthetic Research Program.

Tomorrow the Veterans’ Committee will hold a hearing to shed more light on VA research breakthroughs and development needs.

The President’s budget for 2007 proposed decreasing VA research by $13 million. The senators’ letter supports increasing the VA budget by $20 million over last year’s level – a 5 percent increase.

The letter states: "The proposed level of direct funds does not keep pace with inflation and will compel VA to cut numerous projects. Therefore, we support a FY07 funding level of $432 million, in order to cover inflation, sustain current VA research and development commitments, and allow critical new research initiatives to move forward."

Craig and Akaka joined forces in hopes to sustain VA research programs which are instrumental in developing innovative and effective methods of treatment. Modern warfare has unfortunately resulted in many wounded servicemembers who stand to benefit from enhanced VA research in the areas of prosthetic limbs, rehabilitation, and traumatic brain and spinal injuries.

The letter was addressed to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Chairperson Kay Bailey Hutchison and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein.

Here is the text of the letter:

April 26, 2006

The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, Chairman

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs

Committee on Appropriations

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Hutchison and Ranking Member Feinstein:

We strongly urge the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs to demonstrate this nation's commitment to its veterans by providing a much-needed increase in the Fiscal Year 2007 appropriation for the Department of Veterans Affairs' Medical and Prosthetics Research Program.

The Administration's proposed FY07 budget for the direct costs of VA research is $399 million, a $13 million cut from the current year’s level of $412 million. The proposed level of direct funds does not keep pace with inflation and will compel VA to cut numerous projects.

Therefore, we support a FY07 funding level of $432 million, in order to cover inflation, sustain current VA research and development commitments, and allow critical new research initiatives to move forward.

If enacted, the proposed cuts to the VA research budget will result in the loss of 96 research projects in valuable areas such as diabetes, cancer, aging, heart disease, and 286 full-time employees (FTE) are projected to lose their jobs. Further, given that participation in VA’s top-notch research program is a major factor in recruiting physicians to VA, the research program must be provided the necessary funds to attract and retain quality clinical staff.

Another point to take into account is that the nature of modern warfare and battlefield medicine has resulted in servicemembers coming home with wounds that would have been fatal in previous wars. Many wounded servicemen and women are in need of prosthetic limbs, extensive physical therapy, or have endured traumatic brain injuries. With thousands of military personnel engaged in service overseas, it is vital that Congress invest in research that could have a direct impact on their post-deployment quality of life.

VA research programs have been instrumental in developing innovative and effective methods of treatment since World War II, making landmark contributions to the welfare of veterans and the entirety of the nation. Past VA research projects have resulted in the first successful liver transplant performed in the U.S., development of the cardiac pacemaker, and pioneering the concepts that led to the CT scan. VA research also has played a vital role in treating tuberculosis, rehabilitating blind veterans, and more recently, in launching the largest-ever clinical trial of psychotherapy to treat PTSD. For the last 60 years, VA research has been extremely competitive with its private sector counterparts.

Today, VA’s research program continues to remain appropriately focused. In 2004, VA research took on leadership of a $60 million nationwide study – funded by the National Institute on Aging and other partners – to identify brain changes linked with Alzheimer’s disease. VA research, in partnership with Brown University and MIT, established a major center of excellence to develop state-of-the-art prosthetics for veteran amputees. In June 2005, U.S. News & World Report called VA hospital care "the best around." The important role VA research played in this transformation of the VA medical care system cannot go overlooked; its innovations improved the overall quality and delivery of VA health care for years to come.

Keeping this distinguished record of success in mind, we ask you to further support VA research

by ensuring that an appropriate level of funding continues for this program. These funds must be at a level that accounts for inflation, new and daunting challenges, and most importantly, enables VA to remain an attractive option to our best and brightest in medicine. Adequately funding VA’s Medical and Prosthetics Research Program is vital to maintaining our commitment to veterans.

Sincerely,

In order of signing:


  1. Larry E. Craig



  2. Daniel K. Akaka



  3. Ken Salazar



  4. Tim Johnson



  5. John D. Rockefeller



  6. Edward M. Kennedy



  7. Conrad Burns



  8. James M. Jeffords



  9. Arlen Specter



  10. Patrick J. Leahy



  11. Patty Murray



  12. Carl Levin



  13. Frank R. Lautenberg



  14. Max Baucus



  15. Jeff Bingaman



  16. Barack Obama



  17. John Ensign



  18. Debbie Stabenow



  19. Hillary Rodham Clinton



  20. Mike DeWine



  21. Barbara A. Mikulski



  22. George Allen



  23. Kent Conrad



  24. Daniel K. Inouye



  25. Byron L. Dorgan



  26. Christopher S. Bond



  27. Barbara Boxer



  28. Paul S. Sarbanes



  29. Mark L. Pryor



  30. Christopher J. Dodd



  31. Rick Santorum



  32. Herb Kohl



  33. Richard Durbin



  34. Olympia Snowe



  35. John F. Kerry



  36. Johnny Isakson



  37. Pat Roberts



  38. Norm Coleman



  39. Bill Nelson



  40. Lindsey Graham



  41. Robert Menendez



  42. Trent Lott



  43. Chuck Hagel



  44. Mark Dayton



  45. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.



  46. James M. Talent



  47. Maria Cantwell



  48. Mary L. Landrieu



  49. Charles E. Schumer



  50. Thomas R. Carper



  51. Joseph I. Lieberman



  52. Blanche L. Lincoln



  53. Russell D. Feingold



  54. Mike Crapo



  55. John Thune



  56. Ron Wyden



  57. Elizabeth Dole



  58. Richard Burr



  59. Tom Harkin



  60. Jack Reed



  61. Lisa Murkowski



  62. Benjamin Nelson


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The VA can take all their damn research money and move it over to treat Veterans.

Veterans deserve real choice for their health care.

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