The Obama Administration’s FY 2012 budget request released at 10:30 a.m. EST this morning provides FY 2012 funding for the VA Medical and Prosthetics Research program at $509 million.  This is $72 million (12.4%) less than the $581 million level provided for 2011 under the continuing resolution that expires on March 4.  The administration’s proposed FY 2012 funding level reverses several years of significant growth, returning VA R&D to the funding level provided for FY 2009.

More positively, NIH is slated for a $1.045 billion (3.4%) increase from $30.784 billion to $31.829 billion.  Also, the DOD appropriation contains $415 million for “continued support of wounded, ill, and injured medical research to include psychological health and TBI/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”  It is unclear from information available this morning which DOD funding mechanism(s) – CDMRP or other DOD programs - will be used.

On the health care side, funding for VA medical care is proposed to be $50.851 billion, a $6.305 billion (14%) increase from $44.546 billion.  The administration anticipates that medical collections from third party insurance and other reimbursements will produce an additional $3.078 billion, boosting total FY 2012 funding available for medical care to $53.929 billion. 

Although advocates for VA research expected bad news, the size of the R&D cut is surprising given the recognized need for better treatments for soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with serious injuries and PTSD.  To continue promising research in these and VA’s traditional areas of research expertise, the Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research (FOVA), a coalition of nearly 80 medical specialty, academic, patient advocacy organizations, is recommending FY 2012 funding for VA research at $620 million, thirty million dollars higher than $590 million, the proposed but not enacted funding level for FY 2011.  Twenty million dollars of the recommended $30 million increase is needed to accommodate expected biomedical research inflation.  The remaining $10 million is more than justified by the health needs of VA’s most recent veterans and important ongoing initiatives.  FOVA’s funding recommendations are also supported by the veterans service organizations that each year develop and present to Congress the Independent Budget (IB).

Separately, FOVA and the IBVSOs recommend $150 million for five research major construction projects and $50 million for minor construction, maintenance and repair. With the budget request proposing a $709 million (35.9%) cut in construction for FY 2012, achieving any of these construction goals will be an uphill battle.

Supporters of VA research are encouraged to contact their members of Congress to urge them to reject the R&D cut proposed in the administration’s FY 2012 budget and to maintain the nation’s commitment to veterans’ health.  Cuts in VA R&D funding have been proposed by previous administrations and in each case, thanks to an active advocacy effort by FOVA, the IBVSOs and individuals, Congress has been persuaded to restore or even add to the prior year funding levels. 

For details about how to contact members of Congress, including special guidance for federal employees, please go to the “Resources” page on the FOVA web site at http://www.friendsofva.org/index.htm