The country's only large federal health system, and a model for learning from care.
The VA runs the largest integrated health system in the country, and the only federal one at scale. Its research learns from the care of about 9 million veterans.
The VA's research program is funded as a discretionary line that competes with operations, its decades-long patient records are breaking as it switches electronic health record systems, and its data isn't reliably linked to Medicare for the veterans covered by both.
Protect the budget, placement, and independence of VA Health Services Research and Development.
Treat VA data as a national research resource, with continuity through the electronic health record transition.
Establish standing VA-CMS data linkage governance for veterans enrolled in both systems.
Formalize VA participation in HHS-led evidence coordination, with joint funding authority to follow.
Establish statutory protections for VA research authority under Title 38, matching those proposed for HHS research agencies.
Build standing mechanisms for moving VA-generated evidence into non-VA care settings.