WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) led a group of 18 senators in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough inquiring about access to non-opioid pain alternatives throughout the VA system to help prevent addiction before it starts.

“Active-duty service members, veterans, retirees and their families are not immune to the opioid addiction crisis. 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 wrote.

The senators requested responses by May 1, 2024, to the following questions: 

  • How many non-opioid pain alternatives are currently included in the VA National Formulary (VANF)?  
  • How frequently are non-opioid alternatives utilized in the VA system compared to opioid treatments for acute pain? Please provide any national-level data available on dispensing and usage of non-opioid pain alternatives to treat acute pain in the VA facilities and community care sites.  
  • What steps has the VA already taken to transition from opioid analgesics to non-opioid pain alternatives to treat acute pain? Please also provide a summary of your ability to consider immediate action to add safe, effective non-opioid drugs to the VANF.  
  • What steps can Congress take to facilitate these efforts?  

Senators Capito, Shaheen, Braun, and Baldwin were joined in sending the letter by: U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Angus King (I-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

Full text of the letter is available here.  

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