FY 2006 Funding for GPE and BHPR

APA Public Policy Office: December 15, 2005

FY 2006 Funding Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program & Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) Programs

The GPE Program was one of only two small programs in BHPr that survived the the FY 2006 Conference on the Labor-Health & Human Services-Education spending bill. Unfortunately the funding for the GPE Program was reduced by less than half at a level of $2 million that virtually eliminates the geropsychology training grants that expire next September. Despite the serious set back regarding the funding level and the geropsychology grants, it is a significant victory that the GPE Program still exists. And this is a result of the hard work by APA members to garner champions of the program in both the House and Senate.

The (first) Conference Report funded health programs at $376 million below the FY 2005 level. The BHPr Programs were cut in half. Title VII programs (all but nursing) received approximately a 70% reduction in funding with the elimination of the following programs: Health Education & Training Center, Geriatric, Allied Health, and Rural and Workforce Analysis. The National Institutes of Health, the largest source of funding for university research, got the smallest increase in decades –less than one percent. Rural Health Programs were cut by 73%. The Report was also unprecedented in that no earmarks (special interest projects of legislators) were allowed. The House unexpectedly rejected the conference report on November 17th.Twenty two Republicans voted no mostly because of inadequate funding for rural health.

The revised version of the FY 2006 Labor-HHS Conference Report that was narrowly adopted on December 14th, adds $52.7 million to the Title VII programs, bringing the total to $146.7 million, $153 million (51 percent) cut below last year. Still eliminated are the Health Education Training Centers, geriatric and rural training, allied health and workforce information and analysis programs. Although the overall funding level of the bill did not change (discretionary funding was reduced by $163 million) funds were restored to the following BHPr programs:

$12 million added to Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (psychology students are eligible) returning it to the FY 2005 level

$602,000 for Faculty Loan Repayment (psychology is eligible) returning it to FY 2005 level

$13 million added to primary care medicine and dentistry for a 53 percent cut below last year

$27 million more for Area Health Education Centers (in rural areas) returning it to last year's level

Also added back were funds for other Rural Health Programs: Rural Health Outreach Grants at $28.5 million returning it to FY 2005 level and Office of Rural Health Research & Policy had $9 million restore.

Now we will regroup and double our efforts to garner Congressional champions for FY 2007 to restore the funding for the GPE Program that has proven to be one of the highest quality federally supported health profession education and training programs.