Letter to VA Secretary Requests Update on Non-Opioid Pain Management Options for Veterans

WASHINGTON - In the midst of an opioid pandemic, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced in 2023 it has significantly decreased the number of veterans with opioid prescriptions by 67% since 2012. However, estimates show opioids remain the default treatments for acute pain, with more than 3.75 million patients initiating long-term opioid use after a low-risk surgery.

Increasing the availability of non-opioids treatment options plays an important role in managing acute pain, while providing an alternative to prescribing opioids. In a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Mike Braun (R-IN), in asking the department to share the progress it has made in incentivizing the use of non-opioid pain management options to prevent addiction within the veteran community.

"Thank you for your ongoing commitment to providing best-in-class health care to our nation's veterans, ensuring that we provide those who served with the same level of service that they offered our country. As our nation's largest integrated health care system, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sets the standards for high-quality care. We write today to inquire about access to non-opioid pain alternatives throughout the VA system,"the senators wrote.

"We also know active-duty service members, veterans, retirees and their families are not immune to the opioid addiction crisis," the senators continued. "Nearly half of combat wounded veterans report misuse of prescription opioids. Drug overdose mortality rates among veterans also increased by 53% from 2010-2019. Therefore, it is even more important to protect veterans from unnecessary exposure to prescription opioids."

The senators requested the department provide responses to how many non-opioid pain alternatives are currently in the VA National Formulary, the frequency of non-opioid alternatives utilized in the VA system compared to opioid treatments for acute pain, the specific steps taken to transition from opioid analgesics to non-opioid pain alternatives to treat acute pain, and what Congress can do to help facilitate these efforts.

Click here for the letter.