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advocacy
President Requests
$583 Million for VA Research in FY 2013
FY 2013
Budget Proposal for VA Research:
The President’s budget that was released
on Monday, January 13, requests $583 million for the VA Medical and
Prosthetic Research account.
This represents a modest $2 million or .3%
increase over FY 2012.
In light of pressure to reduce federal
spending, this is a good starting point for VA research in the FY 2013
budget/appropriations process.
VA plans to use the entire $2
million increase for a special initiative on treating pain. With as many
as 58% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from
pain in either their head or back, and many
veterans experiencing prolonged and acute pain as a result of serious
injuries, VA is establishing chronic pain as a new priority area for
research.
In order to grow its
investment in other high priority and timely initiatives under an
essentially flat line budget, VA plans to reduce its efforts “in areas
in which other federal agencies are making substantial efforts.” (Volume
II of the Budget Submission, page 3A-2)
Continuing the
practice started a few years ago, medical care support for research,
generally referred to the VERA research allocation, matches the proposed
research appropriation.
For comparison, and again
reflecting the tight fiscal environment that currently dictates federal
funding decisions, NIH is slated for flat funding at $30.7 billion.
However, the National Science Foundation
fared better with a proposed 5% increase.
Details of the budget proposal
for VA are posted or linked on the NAVREF web site.
These include:
VA Research Advocacy:
The Friends of VA Medical Care and Health
Research (FOVA), the coalition of more than 70 medical, specialty,
professional, academic and patient advocacy organizations committed to
well-funded VA medical and research programs, and the
Independent
Budget, which is prepared each year by
some of the leading veterans service organizations, are recommending FY
2013 funding for VA research at $611 million.
This represents a $30 million (5%) increase
above the current year and $28 million above the President’s request.
For a summary of the FOVA and IB
recommendations, please
click here.
For details, go to the Independent
Budget posted at
http://www.independentbudget.org/.
The section about the Medical and Prosthetic
Research account is found in “Medical Care” and begins on page 172.
Please watch for future updates as the FY 2013 budget/appropriations
process moves forward.
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