The Counting Veterans' Cancer Act of 2023 was passed this week as an amendment to the Senate Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill, H.R. 4366 – the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The bill was introduced by Senator Mark Kelly (AZ) and Senator Thom Tillis (NC) to improve the care of veterans by requiring data on veterans diagnosed with cancer to be reported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to central cancer registries. It now goes to the House of Representatives for their review. Once passed, this legislation would allow the VA to report cancer cases without need for data use agreements, improve the completeness of cancer statistics for states and the nation, and support research that includes those that have selflessly served the U.S.
Passage of this bill is a major milestone, and we would like to thank our colleagues at NCRA for their organization of a major advocacy effort. Many thanks also to the many NAACCR members who participated in virtual meetings, sent letters, and otherwise contributed to the success of this effort!
You can find the text included in H.R. 4366 here: Counting-Veterans-Cancer-Act-of-2023.pdf (senate.gov).
Karen Knight
Chief of Registry Development
North American Association of Central Cancer Registries
2050 West Iles Ave., Suite A, Springfield, IL 62704
E-mail: kknight@naaccr.org
Telephone: 217-698-0800 Ext. 119
Fax: 217-698-0188
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Karen Knight
Chief of Registry Development
North American Association of Central Cancer Registries
2050 West Iles Ave., Suite A, Springfield, IL 62704
E-mail:
kknight@naaccr.orgTelephone: 217-698-0800 Ext. 119
Fax: 217-698-0188
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