Call to Action! Help Us Get Your Voice Heard for More Research Funding!

Mark Vieth, Senior Vice President at Cavarocchi Ruscio Dennis Associates and the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy’s advocacy consultant in Washington, D.C., confirmed that the president and Congressional leaders recently reached an important two-year budget deal, paving the way for the Senate to complete its spending bills in September. As a result, in early September, the Senate Appropriations Committee will likely begin marking up the fiscal year 2020 Defense Appropriations Act.

Now is another pivotal time for us to come together to make the Senate aware of the importance of including peripheral neuropathy among the disorders and conditions eligible for research funding under the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).

Earlier this year, we asked you to contact your senators to urge their support to include peripheral neuropathy in the PRMRP program. We are asking you again to contact your senators in order to pave the way for more funding for research on peripheral neuropathy.

The Campaign: Get PN included in the DoD Research Funding Budget

In March 2019, FPN initiated an advocacy program to promote more government spending on peripheral neuropathy research through the DoD’s medical research fund. To learn more about the campaign, and what we did for the campaign, please read here.

Through the concerted effort of our constituents and associates, including support groups and peripheral neuropathy groups across the U.S., we had a ground swell of letters written to U.S. senators by constituents supporting our cause. Through this, Mr. Vieth was able to personally meet with the senators to encourage them to vote for the inclusion of peripheral neuropathy for research funding. Through letter or through personal meetings, more than half the U.S. senators in Washington were contacted and heard our story.

We are hoping to again raise awareness among the Senate on the importance of research funding for peripheral neuropathy.

What can you do?

Please write your senator and urge him/her to contact the Senate Appropriations Committee. Ask your senator to include peripheral neuropathy among the disorders and conditions eligible for funding under the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program in the fiscal 2020 Defense Appropriations Act.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Find the contact for your senator here.
• Go to your senators’ website pages/online contact forms
• You will be asked to fill out a form with your name, address, and message. Where the form asks for your message, copy in:

Date

Dear Senator,

Earlier this year, I contacted you regarding an important request related to the fiscal year 2020 Defense Appropriations Act. Now that Congress has enacted the Bipartisan Budget Agreement, and work on the Defense Appropriations Act will resume in September, I am asking again that you contact the Senate Committee on Appropriations to support the inclusion in that measure of the designation of “peripheral neuropathy” among the disorders and conditions eligible for research funding under the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).

Affecting more than 20 million Americans, peripheral neuropathy refers to the many conditions that involve damage to the peripheral nervous system. Peripheral neuropathy is common among the veterans community as well, particularly those diagnosed with diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV and those exposed to Agent Orange. ADD ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION HERE, HOW PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AFFECTS YOU.

I urge you to contact the Senate Appropriations Committee prior to September and request that they include “peripheral neuropathy” among the eligible PRMRP conditions and have this language included in the fiscal year 2020 Defense Appropriations Act.

• If you prefer, write a letter directly to your senator using the wording above.
• Let us know at [email protected] that you have sent a letter or contacted your senator so we are able to advise our consultant to follow up in DC.

Your Voice Matters!

Together, we can bring more awareness and, hopefully, more funding for research on peripheral neuropathy.

We thank you for your efforts.

For more information on how to help us with this campaign, or to help support us through donations to keep this important initiative going, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or donate directly here.