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Letter for Veterans currently receiving chiropractic care The Honorable ________________________ U.S. Senate / U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC Dear Senator/Congressman ________________________: I am a veteran who receives care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in _________________________________. I am also one of the 25 million Americans who seek health care treatment from one of the nation's 60,000 Doctors of Chiropractic. For too long, my fellow veterans and I have been denied access through the VA to the chiropractic care we want, need and deserve. Recently, following enactment of specific legislative directives by Congress in 2002 and 2003 (Public Laws 107-135 and 108-170), I learned that the VA is beginning to make chiropractic care available at 26 selected VA facilities around the country. Although this is a step forward taken by VA Secretary Anthony Principi to improve the care available to America's veterans, I am disappointed that veterans like me will remain unable to access chiropractic care at a VA facility unless the program is expanded to a VA facility in our community. Chiropractic care is a proven and cost-effective health care choice. In recent years, in recognition of the value and benefits of chiropractic care, Congress has passed, and the President has signed into law, legislation establishing a permanent chiropractic care benefit for America's active-duty military personnel and for America's veterans. A Doctor of Chiropractic is now stationed in the Office of the Attending Physician in the U.S. Capitol to provide necessary care to Members of Congress. Nevertheless, more needs to be done to overcome barriers to chiropractic care and ensure that Doctors of Chiropractic are integrated fully in Federal health programs - like the VA health system - without any further delay. Every veteran - particularly veterans from my community - should have unimpeded access through the VA to chiropractic care. As your constituent, I urge you to immediately contact Secretary Principi and VA officials at the VISN and local facility levels to express support for making chiropractic care available at the VA facilities in this area. Thank you for demonstrating your commitment to veterans' health care.
cc: American Chiropractic Association (Fax -- 703 243-2593) |
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