Letter to Congress Requesting Eczema on FY24 Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program

On August 14, 2023, Julie Block, president and CEO of the National Eczema Association, sent the letter below to Congress.

August 14, 2023

Dear Chairman Tester, Chairman Calvert, Ranking Member Collins, and Ranking Member McCollum:

Thank you for your leadership on military health and medical research issues. I write today on behalf of the National Eczema Association (NEA), and the 31 million Americans impacted by eczema, including constituents, to ask that Congress once again include “eczema” on any final list of conditions deemed eligible for study through the (DOD) Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) as you and your colleagues work to complete FY 2024 appropriations.

As a non-profit, patient-driven organization, NEA is the driving force for an eczema community fueled by knowledge, strengthened through collective action and propelled by the promise for a better future. As you and your colleagues consider legislative and policy issues during the upcoming session, please consider us a resource on efforts to advance medical research, improve patient care, and address coverage and access challenges.

Eczema was included on the FY 2023 PRMRP eligible conditions list, leading to critical new scientific opportunities for the community. This is of utmost importance to the eczema community as some of the more severe cases of eczema can disqualify a patient from serving in the military unless a waiver is obtained. For FY 2024, our annual request was even stronger, with a broadly supported House appropriations sign on letter advancing this request. We are concerned that the current PRMRP eligible conditions list (in the Report accompanying the Senate DOD Bill) does not include eczema and we ask that any final, FY 2024 appropriations measure continue to include eczema in the PRMRP to sustain emerging scientific progress.

On behalf of NEA, the patients we serve, and the dedicated community of researchers working in this area, please continue to include “eczema” in the PRMRP as you finalize DOD appropriations for FY 2024. Thank you for your time and for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Julie Block

President & Chief Executive Officer

National Eczema Association

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About the National Eczema Association

Founded in 1988, the National Eczema Association (NEA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the largest patient advocacy organization serving the over 31 million Americans who live with eczema and those who care for them. NEA provides programs and resources to elevate the diverse lived experience of eczema, and help patients and caregivers understand their disease, actively engage in their care, find strength in one another – and improve their lives. Additionally, NEA advances critical eczema research and partners with key stakeholders to ensure the patient voice is represented and valued in education, care and treatment decision-making. The eczema community is at an exciting juncture, with increased recognition of the seriousness and burden of eczema and a surge in scientific interest and development of new treatments. Bolstered by NEA’s strategic plan, Blueprint 2025, we are driving toward the ultimate vision: a world without eczema. Learn more at NationalEczema.org.

Contact:

Amber Whiteside
amber@nationaleczema.org