Current
VA FY 2007 Funding
On July 20, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY
2007 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs spending bill (S.Rept.
109-286, H.R. 5385). The House passed its FY 2007 appropriations
bill for Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs (H.Rept.
109-464, H.R. 5385) on May 19. Both the House and Senate bills provide
$412 million for the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research program,
the same as in FY 2006, and $13 million (3.2 percent) above the
President's FY 2007 request.
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The Senate bill provides $32.258 billion for VA medical care,
a $3.555 billion (12.4 percent) increase over the FY 2006 levels
and the same as the President's request for FY 2007. The House passed
bill provides $32.283 billion for VA medical care, a $3.580 billion
(12.5 percent) increase over FY 2006.
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VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program
The VA Medical and Prosthetic Research program is one of the nation's
premier research endeavors and attracts high-caliber clinicians
to deliver care and conduct research in VA health-care facilities.
The VA research program is patient oriented and focused entirely
on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions prevalent
in the veteran population.
The VA research program is an intramural program; grantees must
be VA employees. Unlike other federal research agencies, VA does
not make grants to colleges and universities, or any other non-VA
entity. As such, the program offers a dedicated funding source to
attract and retain high-quality physicians and clinical investigators
to the VA health care system. This in turn ensures that our nation's
veterans receive state-of-the-art health care.
VA currently supports over 5,100 researchers, of whom 76 percent
are practicing clinicians who provide direct patient care to veteran
patients. As a result, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA),
which is the largest integrated medical care system in the world,
has a unique ability to translate progress in medical science directly
to improvements in clinical care.
VA leverages the taxpayer's investment via a nationwide array of
partnerships with the National Institutes of Health and other federal
research funding agencies, for-profit industry partners, nonprofit
organizations, and academic affiliates. This highly successful enterprise
demonstrates the best in public-private cooperation.
The VA research program is divided into four major Research and
Development (R&D) Services:
- Biomedical and Laboratory R&D Service - Supports
basic science and pre-clinical research related to diseases affecting
veterans.
- Clinical Science R&D Service - Administers investigations
(e.g. multi-center cooperative studies) aimed at instituting new,
more effective clinical care.
- Health Services R&D Service - Identifies and promotes
effective and efficient strategies to improve the organization,
cost effectiveness, and delivery of health care at the patient
and system levels.
- Rehabilitation R&D Service - Integrates science,
engineering and medicine to develop concepts, processes, and products
that improve the quality of life for impaired and disabled veterans.
Aside from the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research appropriation,
VA provides support to the research program in the form of clinician
salaries and facilities and administrative costs. Additionally,
VA scientists are successful in competing for, and leveraging, research
support from other federal agencies such as the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), foundations, and industry. In FY 2007, VA estimates
its total research enterprise at over $1.6 billion. However, a commitment
to steady and sustainable growth in the annual VA research and development
appropriation is necessary for maximum productivity.
VA Medical Care
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) supports the needs of
America's veterans by providing primary care, specialty care, and
the related medical and social support services. Through the Medical
Care appropriation, VHA operates one of the largest comprehensive,
integrated health care delivery systems in the United States. Organized
around 21 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), VHA operates
156 hospitals, 862 outpatient clinics, and 134 nursing homes. In
FY 2007, VHA estimates it will care for almost 5.5 million veterans.
In addition to providing primary health care to veterans, VHA also
offers a variety of specialized services, including:
- centers for spinal cord injury, blindness, and polytrauma rehabilitation;
- substance abuse treatment programs and readjustment counseling
services;
- prosthetic and sensory assistance services and rehabilitation
referral centers;
- audiology programs and speech pathology services;
- treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);
- ambulatory care centers;
- AIDS treatment centers;
- long term care centers;
- Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers
(PADRECCs);
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Centers (GRECCs);
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECCs);
and
- women's health centers.
Training Health Care Professionals
Since 1946, affiliations between VA medical centers and the nation's
health professions schools have provided a critical link that brings
expert clinicians and researchers to the VA health system. These
long standing affiliations with the academic health care community
are a major factor in ensuring quality care for US veterans and
represent a model partnership between the federal government and
non federal institutions.
Today, VA manages the largest medical education and health professions
training program in the United States. 107 of the nation's 125 accredited
allopathic medical schools are affiliated with VA medical centers.
The VA system accounts for approximately 9 percent of all graduate
medical education in the country, supporting more than 8,800 full
time medical residency training positions. More than half the nation's
physicians receive some part of their medical training in VA hospitals,
as over 28,000 medical residents and nearly 17,000 medical students
rotate through the VA health system each year. In total, approximately
83,000 health professionals from over 1,200 colleges and universities
train each year at VA medical facilities.
VA medical centers are ideal training centers for tomorrow's caregivers.
The VA provides unique opportunities for medical students and residents
to participate in ambulatory education and training. For example,
more than 70 percent of VA medical centers have long term care components,
placing VA at the forefront of educating health care professionals
in geriatrics. As the veteran population ages along with the general
population, it is important that the nation has an adequate supply
of geriatricians and physicians who can treat complex, aging-related
illnesses. The educational opportunities available at the VA are
critical to exposing future health professionals to the type of
care they will deliver during their careers, while simultaneously
affording veterans access to the high quality skills and environment
inherent in an academic setting.
Contacts
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
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