May 7, 2026
NAAOP welcomes our 2026 George and Dena Breece Fellow, Elijah Brummond, to Washington, DC on June 1st. Competitively selected by an NAAOP Selection Committee, Elijah becomes the 9th Breece Fellow. He will work closely with general counsel, Peter Thomas, and his colleagues at Powers law all summer learning about O&P policy and advocacy in the broader context of rehabilitation and disability. Elijah has used a lower limb prosthesis since birth and brings to the position an interest in law, business, politics, and advocacy. He will be busy addressing NAAOP’s policy priorities, including:
O&P Outcomes Research Funding: NAAOP is working with the O&P Alliance to restore $15 million in FY 2027 federal appropriations to fund O&P outcomes research at the Department of Defense (“DOD”). Known as the O&P Outcomes Research Program (“OPORP”), the program was funded by Congress from FY 2014 through FY 2023 for a total of $116 million over ten years. Dozens of O&P researchers across the country were funded, triggering great strides in outcomes research to assist O&P patients and practitioners. The program was not funded in FY 2024, however, in the past two fiscal years, Congress authorized the DOD to fund this research through a peer reviewed, competitive research program. Although this was a net positive, the amount of funds available to O&P researchers was considerably smaller. This coming fiscal year, the O&P community hopes to restore dedicated funding of $15 million for O&P outcomes research through the OPORP program.
· You Can Help Now! Please lend your support to this effort by signing a letter to Congress by Tuesday, May 12th at this link: O&P Action Letter | NAAOP
New “Professional Degree” Definition Limits O&P Student Loan Amounts: A new final rule was recently published that considerably restricts the amount of federal loan funds that O&P students can borrow from the federal government, putting pressure on students to secure sufficient funding to complete their O&P Masters degree programs. The regulation redefines what is considered a “professional degree” by restricting this term to only 11 explicitly defined professions, and O&P is not included on this list. This was not unexpected but disappointing nonetheless. Many other health professions, including PT’s, OT’s, social workers, and many others are also negatively impacted. Both legislative and litigation efforts are underway from a coalition of impacted organizations to oppose this new final rule.
Proposed Rule Would Limit Participation in Direct Student Loan Programs: The Department of Education also recently issued a proposed regulation that would establish a new postsecondary earnings accountability framework that conditions eligibility for federal student loans on whether recent graduates earn more than a certain benchmark. For graduate programs such as O&P Masters programs, the benchmark is explicit: the typical graduate must earn more than the average bachelor’s degree holder, or the program may lose eligibility for federal student loans. While the impact on O&P education is unclear, there is a reasonable possibility that it will not dramatically impact O&P education. NAAOP is studying the rule and will comment with the O&P Alliance by the May 20thdeadline.
NAAOP/O&P Alliance Meets with CMS on OTS Orthotic Competitive Bidding Program: In the past several weeks, NAAOP worked with the O&P Alliance to meet with CMS to discuss ways to lessen the negative impact of Medicare competitive bidding of off-the-shelf (“OTS”) orthotics when CMS begins another round of this program. Knee, back and upper extremity OTS orthoses will be impacted. A detailed, 18-page document was submitted to CMS detailing arguments to lessen the negative impacts on orthotic patients and providers, including reasons why a series of so-called OTS orthoses should never be competitively bid due to clinical concerns. CMS is expected to publish additional information on competitive bidding in the coming weeks.
NAAOP thanks its membership and friends for their continued support.