June 16, 2000

Dear Representative:

I am writing you to urge your support for the amendment that will be offered by Congressmen DeFazio (D-OH), Stark (D-CA), and Rohrabacher (R-CA) during floor consideration of the FY2001 VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill. The amendment would provide an additional $16 million for research within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The Coalition for Health Services Research (CHSR) has been concerned that steady funding, as requested by the President in his FY2001 budget and recommended by the House Appropriations Committee, will further erode the VHA's ability to carry out needed research on prevalent health conditions affecting veterans. We also are concerned about the decline, in recent years, of investigator-initiated research. This decline is directly attributable to a lack of adequate funding for the program.

VHA and VHA researchers are world renown for their leadership in health research. In particular, the Health Services Research and Development Service (HRS&D) program maintains a standard of excellence in developing state-of-the-art decisionmaking tools. Foremost in HSR&D's portfolio is the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), a program unique not only in design, but also in its ability to rapidly translate research discoveries and innovations into improved patient care. Current study areas include heart disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure, stroke, spinal cord injury, substance, abuse, HIV/AIDS, mental health, colon cancer, and prostate disease. Taking advantage of the VHA's networked system of care, more than 135 QUERI projects have been completed in just the two years since the program's initiation.

As you consider FY2001 funding for VHA, I encourage you to consider the valuable contributions of the VHA's HSR&D program and support the DeFazio/Stark/Rohrabacher amendment to increase funding for VHA research.

Sincerely,

W. David Helms President and CEO