WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 13, 2026) — The National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF), the national membership organization representing VA-affiliated nonprofit corporations (NPCs), has filed comments opposing a proposed Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rule that would destabilize the long-term research enterprise responsible for advancing treatments and cures for the conditions that most affect those who served. NAVREF's filing joins more than 292,000 public comments that have poured in on the proposed rule, a striking measure of how much concern it has generated across the research community and beyond.
Established by Congress under 38 U.S.C. §§ 7361–7366 to strengthen research and education at VA medical centers nationwide, NPCs collectively facilitate more than $350 million each year in active, multi-year research programs, advancing new treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, toxic exposures, cancer, chronic pain, and suicide prevention.
As detailed in the comments, NAVREF shares OMB's stated interest in transparency, accountability, and rigorous oversight of taxpayer dollars. But accountability must be grounded in evidence, due process, and scientific integrity rather than political discretion. As drafted, the proposed rule would allow agencies to terminate active grants absent any finding of misconduct or noncompliance, substitute subjective policy judgments for independent scientific merit review, and impose vague legal standards that cast uncertainty over entire fields of congressionally authorized research. Rather than strengthening stewardship, these provisions would undermine research continuity, discourage innovation, and jeopardize studies veterans are counting on.
The cost of disrupting this research is not theoretical. Delayed recognition of Agent Orange-related conditions, Gulf War Illness, and burn pit exposures each resulted from insufficient continuity in long-term research. Mid-stream terminations of multi-year studies do not pause science;they destroy it. Partial data cannot establish causation, and interrupted cohort studies cannot simply be restarted.
“This is about more than grants or regulations; this is about how we are caring for our nation’s Veterans,” said Rashi Romanoff, Chief Executive Officer of NAVREF. “When research is delayed, care is delayed. When promising studies are abandoned, opportunities to improve and save Veterans' lives are lost. Every breakthrough in PTSD, toxic exposures, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and countless other conditions begins with a stable, scientifically driven research system. Weakening that foundation means Veterans wait longer for the answers and treatments they have earned.”
NAVREF's comments urge OMB to preserve peer review as the primary basis for funding decisions, exclude multi-year research awards from discretionary agency-priority terminations, establish a safe harbor for research required by law, and recognize the unique statutory governance structure of VA-affiliated nonprofits. NAVREF stands ready to work with OMB and its federal partners to advance reforms that promote both accountability and scientific integrity.
NAVREF's full comment letter is available here.
###
For Media Inquiries
Elizabeth Stout
NAVREF Public Affairs Liaison | estout@navref.org
About NAVREF
The National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF) is the national nonprofit membership organization representing VA-affiliated nonprofit corporations (NPCs), organizations Congress authorized under 38 U.S.C. §§ 7361–7366 to support research and education at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers nationwide. Together, NAVREF's member NPCs generate more than $350 million annually in research activity advancing new treatments and cures for the conditions that most affect veterans. Learn more at www.navref.org.
