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The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has been at the forefront of educating the public and Congress on the benefits of chiropractic care for veterans. To that end, ACA fully supports S. 1204, the Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act, Dr. Rick McMichael,  DC, president of ACA, testified today.

Military service men and women need to rely on access to treatment for painful and disabling join and back disorders and be provided the highest level of care possible Dr. McMichael said in testimony before the United States Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on S. 1204, legislation introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash).

According to recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, nearly 52 percent of the service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are seeking care due to musculoskeletal ailments including back and joint pain, which is commonly caused by injuries from combat, heavy gear, motor vehicle accidents, and blast injuries. Dr. McMichael noted that doctors of chiropractic offer expert conservative care but more is needed.

“Without a congressional directive, further expansion to Veterans Administration facilities will happen only on a case-by-case basis and more than likely will be excruciatingly slow,” he said.

Chiropractic care has been available within the Veterans Administration system for many years, but Congress took action when it became apparent that the VA had failed to take any reasonable steps to provide veterans with chiropractic care and pushed for chiropractic care to be integrated into 36 major treatment facilities.

Despite this progress, Dr. McMichael stated, there is still an overwhelming majority of veterans denied access to chiropractic care at approximately 120 major Veterans Administration facilities. 

“Clearly, the need for expanded access to doctors of chiropractic and their high-touch care has never been more crucial, he continued. “Veterans want, need and deserve access to chiropractic care, and our goal should be to ensure that chiropractic is available and accessible at every major Veterans Administration health care facility. We encourage this Congress to pass the Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act.”

ACA, based in Arlington, Va., is the largest chiropractic organization in the country. ACA provides lobbying, public relations, professional and educational opportunities for doctors of chiropractic, funds research regarding chiropractic and health issues, and offers leadership for the advancement of the profession. ACA promotes the highest standards of ethics and patient care, contributing to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients.