ARLINGTON, Va., Jan 24, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- President Bush signed legislation late last night mandating the establishment of a permanent chiropractic benefit within the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) health care system. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is hailing the new law (Public Law 107-135) as not only an enormous triumph for the profession but also proof of the powerful role chiropractic plays on Capitol Hill and in the nation's health care system.

"This profession has been fighting to make this law a reality for 65 years. It is just tremendous to finally see it happen," said ACA Chairman James Edwards, DC.

The law, called the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001 (H.R. 3447), had been passed by the Senate during one of the last actions of the 107th Congress before its adjournment for the year.

The law authorizes the hiring of doctors of chiropractic in the DVA health system, sets a broad scope of chiropractic practice, and allows the chiropractic profession to oversee the development and implementation of the new benefit through an "advisory committee," partially composed of representatives of the chiropractic profession. The agreement is similar to legislative language that became law last year requiring the Department of Defense to establish a permanent chiropractic benefit for active duty military personnel.

"The passage of this historic law represents an enormous victory for America's veterans, who will now have access to the chiropractic care they have been denied for far too long," said ACA President Daryl D. Wills, DC. "But this tremendous win is also a sweet victory for the chiropractic profession, because we faced such an uphill battle to see it through."

Joining the ACA in support of the legislation were the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC), the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) and the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA).

The measure was championed by a strong bi-partisan coalition led by Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), House Veterans Committee Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Congressmen Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lane Evans (D-IL) and Bob Filner (D-CA), Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC) and Senator Tim Hutchinson (R-AR). Governor Bob Wise of West Virginia was also instrumental in lobbying for support of the legislation.

Key provisions of the new law include:

* Immediate phase-in of the program.

* Designation of at least one DVA medical center in each geographic

service area of the Veterans Health Administration to provide

chiropractic services. The designated sites will be medical centers and

clinics located in urban and rural areas.

* Scope of chiropractic services that "shall include a variety of

chiropractic care and services for neuromusculoskeletal conditions,

including subluxation complex."

* Dissemination of educational materials on chiropractic to primary care

teams "for the purpose of familiarizing such providers with the benefits

of chiropractic care and services."

* Establishment of a chiropractic advisory committee that will advise the

Secretary on protocols governing referral to doctors of chiropractic,

direct access to chiropractic care, scope of chiropractic and other issues.

The chiropractic profession's task will now be to ensure that the DVA properly and expeditiously moves forward to implement this law. The ACA will carefully monitor the implementation of this new benefit, and will provide updates as events warrant.

From Healthy.net