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What is the VA Office of Research and Development?
- The VA Office of Research and Development (VA ORD) aims to improve the health of our veterans and lay the groundwork for improved patient care within the VA.
- ORD consists of four research services: Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service; Clinical Science Research & Development Service; Health Services Research & Development Service; and Rehabilitation Research & Development Research.
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Why is funding for the VA ORD so important?
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for the largest managed health care system in the US.
- Nearly 50% of the VA's active patient population, numbering close to 6 million, is over age 65, and close to 1 million are over age 85.
- VA research has unique opportunities to address some of the most critical issues in health care today.
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What kind of research does the VA ORD support?
- VA research includes basic science and clinical investigations of the many different diseases and conditions that affect veterans as well as the optimal delivery of health services and rehabilitation interventions to veterans. VA ORD is a vital force in improving veterans' health care and shaping the future of the VA health care system.
- Today, VA researchers are on the leading edge of research on Alzheimer's epidemiology and pathogenesis; genomics of diabetes; exercise strategies in the elderly; advances in prosthetic limbs and neuronal regeneration/reactivation; safety considerations and quality improvement for healthcare settings; pathogenesis, management and rehabilitation from stroke and TBI; end of life care models; osteoporosis and osteoarthritis diagnosis, management, and prevention; and use of electronic technology for telemedicine, telemonitoring, and tele-education.
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What is the current status of FY 2009 funding for the VA ORD?
- The President's proposed budget for FY 2009 requests $442 million to fund the VA medical and prosthetic research program.
- This represents a decrease of $38 million from the $480 million, provided for the program in the enacted FY 2008 budget.
- The research program funds nearly 2,000 high-priority research projects expanding knowledge in areas critical to veterans' health care needs, most notably research in mental illness ($53 million), aging ($45 million), health services delivery improvement ($39 million), cancer ($37 million), and heart disease ($33 million).
- The Friends of the VA Medical Care and Health Research (FOVA) - of which the American Geriatrics Society is a member - recommends $555 million for the program in FY 2009.
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What will happen if funding for the VA ORD is not increased?
- AGS is concerned that without adequate appropriations, the VA may be unable to train a new generation of investigators to carry on its critically important work. We believe that a significant increase in VA funding levels in FY 2009 is needed to sustain vigorous study of the health problems of aging veterans.
- With additional funding, the VA could increase its research on Alzheimer's disease - an illness that proves costly - by tracking trends, maintaining a registry, and testing potential treatments.
- Adequate funds could also increase research on the long term consequences of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) by studying the implications for subsequent dementia and life-long mental illness.
- Funding would also allow the VA to track all the new non-institutional alternatives to nursing home care - especially critical in light of the severely disabled young veterans returning from Iraq.
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