President Obama's Proposed Traumatic Brain Injury Funding
This is just in from the Brain Injury Association of Nevada.
President Obama's Proposed FY2013 Budget and TBI Funding
After analyzing President Barack Obama’s proposed FY2013 budget, BIAA is pleased to report that programs authorized by the TBI Act, including the HRSA Federal TBI Program and the CDC’s important TBI work have both been recommended to receive level funding found in FY11 final and FY12 CR appropriations bills, $10 million for HRSA and just under $7 million for CDC. In the current fiscal climate this is good news for TBI advocates. This would indicate TBI funding is not on the chopping block when the government is looking to cut a trillion and a half dollars in federal spending.
The CDC collects data, links both military and civilian populations with TBI services, increases public awareness, and conducts public health research. The HRSA Federal TBI Program funds 21 states to improve systems coordination and access to care for people with brain injury.
On another note, the budget recommends reducing funds for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education. In FY 2012, NIDRR was funded at $109 million with FY 2013 funding to be decreased to $107 million.
NIDRR administers grants to the TBI Model Systems, which is a collection of research centers located across the United States that conduct disability and rehabilitation research. The TBI Model Systems are the only source of non-proprietary longitudinal data on what happens to people with brain injury. The TBI Model Systems are a key source of evidence-based medicine, and serve as a “proving ground” for future researchers.
The funding decrease was to the overall budget of NIDRR, not the TBI Model Systems. BIAA will address the issue with both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to ensure that Congress is aware of the importance of full funding for NIDRR.
BIAA will continue to work to ensure that legislators understand the importance of these programs and how they affect the 1.7 million people across the United States with brain injury. Grassroots advocates should be ready for appropriations alerts to drive home this vital message this spring.
