US Veterans have a 4-5 times higher risk for sarcoidosis than the general population¹. There are approximately 25,000 veterans living with sarcoidosis². Mortality from sarcoidosis is unfortunately on the rise³. Sarcoidosis is now recognized, thanks to the PACT ACT, as a presumed disability associated with military service.
The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) is launching new veteran-focused initiatives designed to better support and elevate the voices of those who have served. This initiative has a 4-pronged approach:
Clinician Engagement - Creation of partnerships with VA medical centers and relevant educational opportunities for VA and non-VA clinicians and professionals.
Patient Engagement - Creation of peer-to-peer support, and advisory initiatives with veterans impacted by sarcoidosis to provide patient-centered insight, feedback, and recommendations.
Advocacy - Legislative outreach, Federal Agency Work and Partnerships, Hill Days, Congressional Briefings, in support of veteran needs to improve timely diagnosis, quality care, benefits, research funding, and support services for those who have served our country.
Research - Understanding of service and exposure histories of veterans with sarcoidosis and experiences with VA care quality.
As part of this effort, we are inviting veterans living with sarcoidosis to apply for two important opportunities: a Veteran Patient Advisory Committee and a Veteran Support Group Facilitator Role.
Applications for both opportunities are now available. We encourage veterans living with sarcoidosis who are passionate about supporting others and shaping future programs to apply.
The Veteran Patient Advisory Committee (VPAC) will bring together veterans and care partners of veterans living with sarcoidosis to share their lived experiences, provide input on programs and resources, and help guide initiatives that address the unique needs of veterans living with sarcoidosis. This is an opportunity to ensure that veteran perspectives are meaningfully represented in our work, including:
- Veterans outreach, education, and support activities, including the FSR Patient Registry
- Engagement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and related systems of care
- Development of resources and programs tailored to veterans and their families
- Identification of unmet needs, barriers to care, and opportunities for improvement within veterans’ services
Your data is powerful – have you joined the FSR Patient Registry?
FSR created the FSR SARC-Registry to provide researchers with real-world, patient-reported data from individuals with different organ involvement, treatment experiences, and stages of disease—collected over many years.
In 2026, FSR launched a new Military Veterans Survey to better understand how sarcoidosis affects those who have served in the military. By sharing your experiences, you can help researchers and clinicians learn more about potential causes, symptoms, and treatment responses within military veteran communities.
• Your military service history (branch, deployment, timing)
• Possible service-related exposures
• Your sarcoidosis treatment experiences
• Your experiences receiving care, including through the VA
Are you working in a Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Hospital/Medical Center and interested in advancing care for Veterans living with sarcoidosis?
FSR is inviting VA Hospitals/Medical Centers to join the FSR Global Sarcoidosis Clinic Alliance (FSR-GSCA), a global network of leading sarcoidosis centers collaborating to improve patient care and accelerate discoveries.
FSR Purpose in Expanding the FSR-GSCA to Veterans
- To ensure that Veteran patients living with sarcoidosis and receiving their care through Veteran’s Administration (VA) Hospitals/Medical Centers have access to tailored information, education, clinical trials, and patient support services.
- To identify, acknowledge, and support clinicians working with Veteran populations through networking opportunities and forums that enable learning, sharing, and advancements in finding a cure and in continuity of care.
- To accelerate research specific to Veterans living with sarcoidosis through FSR’s global assets and funding. To structure research initiatives with a strategic approach driven by measurable data and insights for Veteran populations.
To contribute to performance outcomes through hospital performance and quality data collected by VA Centers.
Thanks to the generosity of a major donor committed to improving care outcomes for Veterans living with sarcoidosis, FSR is pleased to offer scholarships to cover the annual $2,500 FSR-GSCA membership fee for 5 VA Hospitals/Medical Centers in their first year. An ad-hoc Advisory Committee comprised of esteemed clinicians is drawing on their expertise caring for veterans with sarcoidosis to steer this strategic expansion and advise FSR staff on best practices for clinical engagement to support those who served.
Please reach out to fsr-gsca@stopsarcoidosis.org for more information about how the Alliance can help your VA Center strengthen multidisciplinary sarcoidosis care, expand access to shared expertise and clinical education, accelerate research, and ensure that veterans benefit from a collaborative network designed to advance patient care.
Thank you to our sponsor for helping to make this work possible:
Citations
- Seedahmed MI, Baugh AD, Albirair MT, et al. Epidemiology of Sarcoidosis in U.S. Veterans from 2003 to 2019. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2023;20(6):797-806. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.202206-515OC
- Seedahmed MI, Albirair MT, Baugh AD, et al. Trends in All-Cause Mortality Among US Veterans With Sarcoidosis, 2004-2022. Chest. 2025;167(5):1416-1427. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2024.10.043
- Gerke AK. Morbidity and mortality in sarcoidosis. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2014;20(5):472-478. doi:10.1097/MCP.0000000000000080