On July 27, 2023, the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved by a large bipartisan vote the Senate version of the fiscal year 2024 Defense Appropriations Act. As it has in the three previous years (FY21-23), the Committee included “peripheral neuropathy” as an eligible condition for receiving research grants from the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). The Committee appropriated $370 million in total for the entire PRMRP, and peripheral neuropathy is one of 47 conditions that the Committee included as eligible for research from the PRMRP.
The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy applauds that work of the Committee and thanks the senators who submitted this request to the Committee. However, our work is not yet done. We still have a way to go before this becomes law, but we are optimistic that when Congress returns from its August recess, the full Senate will approve the FY24 Defense Appropriations Act, and then conference the bill with the House to work out the differences between the two versions. Hopefully, a final bill will be enacted prior to the end of the year. If the “peripheral neuropathy” designation remains in the final bill, our research community will once again be able to apply for funding next year when the PRMRP issues solicitations for grant funding.
For more information on FPN’s advocacy efforts, please visit FPN’s advocacy webpage.