Career development awards are associated with lower career-long research attrition risk in Veterans Affairs investigators.

Prior Career Development Award recipients in US Department of Veterans Affairs investigators from fiscal years 2008–2026 are 42% less likely to attrite from VA research engagement than non-CDA peers.

• Why it matters: Research attrition threatens continuity of VA-funded investigators, but it is unclear whether Career Development Awards are linked to sustained engagement over long periods.
• What they did: In a retrospective cohort, CDA-ended investigators (Oct 2008–Mar 2026) from RAFT were compared with non-CDA peers using VA Project Management and Information System attrition, with multivariable binomial regression producing adjusted odds ratios.
• The result: CDA history predicts lower attrition (CR 95% CI, 0.50-0.67, p<.001), with engagement remaining high across demographics (66.7%-93.8%), while several specialties show higher attrition risk after adjustment.

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