­¦ý°±·>œ PRœOÏ€¡s øo/jbjb¿ ¿ lkko+]¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ ¬4¦ åéééééé,ÔÙ“Ó†¢†¢¢¢¢å¢¢¢¢åtå¢¢å– Ô½åThis is a CONFIDENTIAL URGENT ALERT concerning the status of the chiropractic profession in the Veteran Administration Health Services! If you don't act now, veterans may be denied chiropractic care for vertebral subluxation correction! As you know, making chiropractic available to U.S. Veterans through the VA Health system has been one of our goals for more than a year. Despite opposition by the medical profession, physical therapists and even some VA officials themselves, we feel it's important for doctors of chiropractic to provide subluxation correction care for veterans without referral from the medical doctor. We also feel it is vital that chiropractors be the ONLY practitioner authorized to provide such care, since no other provider has training or experience in subluxation correction. To this end, we have worked closely with the ACA, ICA, ACC, and other organizations to develop the legislative language used in House Concurrent Resolution 46, one of the only pieces of legislation ever agreed upon and supported by ALL major chiropractic organizations. This language specifically includes reference to the subluxation complex, prohibits the need for a referral by an M.D., and defines chiropractic as services rendered by DC ' s only. This was also the language used in the chiropractic section of the Veterans Health Bill (H.R. 2792, "Disabled Veterans Service and Health Care Improvement Act of 2001.") when it was submitted to the House of Representatives in August. However, the bill was changed in the House VA Health Subcommittee and now does NOT include any reference to subluxations and does NOT prevent other practitioners from offering "chiropractic care." The Subcommittee staff says it will include those references in its "report language" (a non-binding explanation of the law which will accompany the bill), but we don't think that is sufficient. Without these important provisions in the bill itself, they will mean nothing. The way the bill is written now, chiropractors could be restricted to treating musculoskeletal conditions, and physical therapists could claim they are just as qualified to do the same work. In the end, our Veterans -- who deserve the best possible health care -- may be denied the same services you give your patients every day. They'll be second class citizens when it comes to chiropractic care. If you'll spend just one hour right now, you can help us prevent this from happening! Here's what you should do: Contact these Senators immediately and ask them to make sure the language agreed upon by all chiropractic organizations is reinstated in the bill BEFORE it goes to the floor of the Senate and House. Pick up the phone and call each Senator. You'll probably be connected to his or her voice mail, or to an aide. Tell them you are very concerned about the changes made to Title II, the chiropractic section, of H.R. 2792 and that it is important for the reference to subluxation complex, as well as the definition of chiropractic as services provided by doctors of chiropractic, be reinstated Send them a fax. Tell them of your concerns in your own words, or use the attached letter as a model (as a last resort, you can even copy the letter onto your own letterhead and send it that way.) Do this NOW, before it's too late. If this bill gets through the way it is, the American veterans will lose. We will lose and chiropractic will lose. You have the power to stop this from happening. Contact ten doctors in your state and ask them to take this same action and ask them to contact other doctors. State: Colorado Ben Nighthorse Campbell 380 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-5852 F 202-224-1933 State: Idaho Larry Craig 520 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-2752 F 202-228-1067 State: Florida Bob Graham 524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-3041 F 202-224-2237 State: Arkansas Tim Hutchinson 239 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-2353 F 202-228-3973 State: Texas Kay Bailey Hutchison 284 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-5922 F 202-224-0776 State: Vermont James Jeffords 728 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-5141 F 202-228-0776 State: Alaska Frank Murkowski 322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-6665 F 202-224-5301 State: Washington Patty Murray 173 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-2621 F 202-224-0238 State: Nebraska Ben Nelson 720 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-6551 F 202-228-0012 State: Pennsylvania Arlen Specter 711 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-4254 F 202-228-1229 State: Minnesota Paul Wellstone 136 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 P 202-224-5641 F 202-224-8438 Dear Senator I am writing on behalf of the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), an international professional organization with members in every state and in several foreign nations, representing the interests of tens of thousands of doctors of chiropractic and millions of chiropractic patients around the United States. The WCA publishes The Chiropractic Journal, which is received by more than 70,000 chiropractors around the world, and is available to millions of readers on the Internet. It also publishes the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. On October 11, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs reported H.R. 2792, "Disabled Veterans Service and Health Care Improvement Act of 2001." Action on this legislation is expected very shortly in the House. Title II of H.R. 2792 -- Chiropractic Services -- is a welcome addition to this legislation and the WCA applauds the Committee for moving in this direction. However, in its present form, the title is seriously flawed and will not provide the Veterans Beneficiary population the FULL and complete benefit of chiropractic services which they deserve. It must be changed. The WCA has worked for months with a coalition of national chiropractic organizations on the language to be included in Title II. The coalition presented this language to the staff of the House VA Health Subcommittee. The agreed-upon language stated: "Full scope of practice of chiropractic health care services is to include, as an absolute minimum, care for neuromusculoskeletal conditions, and including but not limited to the subluxation complex, affecting all age groups within the eligible veterans population services by the Department of Veterans Affairs." Yet, the reported VA Committee bill left out all reference to the subluxation complex. By not including this language, the Committee has denied important services to our nation's Veterans and has, in effect, disenfranchised the estimated 85% of the practicing chiropractors in the United States, doctors whose practices involve correction of subluxations. We have been informed by the Committee staff that it plans to correct this omission in Committee report language. A press release from the International Chiropractors Association, a fellow member of the chiropractic organization coalition, indicated this intention. However, the WCA finds it extremely troubling that the Committee recognizes the need to include the subluxation language in the Committee Report but will not include the exact same language in the Statute. In addition, the reported bill left out another important issue. The chiropractic coalition working on this bill suggested that the definition of "chiropractic services," as included in the bill should be: "those services which (are) authorized to be performed by licensed doctors of chiropractic." The WCA, along with a number of other national chiropractic organizations, met this summer with representatives of the VHA to discuss this proposed legislation. The history that led up to those meetings is well known. A number of Veterans organizations were also represented and several distinguished members of the House VA Committee promoted those sessions as a way for the VHA to better understand what chiropractic could mean to the Veterans Beneficiary population. Indeed, a number of the members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee discussed this problem during the markup of HR 2792. It was clear then -- and is clear now -- that the VHA has been very reluctant to offer this service. The WCA believes that if the final law in this area is not extremely specific, the VHA will do the minimum required and will not offer the full scope of chiropractic care (not withstanding the instructions of the Congress in Committee Report) which millions of Americans receive every year. In effect, this bill, if not amended, makes the Veterans Affairs beneficiary popular "second class citizens" with respect to chiropractic care. Since the Committee Report language includes reference to subluxation care, it appears clear that the Committee's intention is to make sure that service is available to veterans. Yet, since the report language is not binding, it will not have that affect, in our opinion. Congressman Don Manzullo introduced H. Con Res. 46, which is intended to exp ress Congress' understanding of chiropractic and show its support for extending chiropractic services to all federal employees through their health plans. The definitions in H.Con. Res. 46 were painstakingly worked out and signed off by all of the major chiropractic organizations in the United States. Indeed, the Chairman of the House VA Committee and its ranking member are co-sponsors of the Manzullo bill. Unfortunately, the definitions of chiropractic services in HR 2792 fall short of those in H.Con. Res. 46. The World Chiropractic Alliance wants to point out this inconsistency and ask that any final legislation in this area include the same definitions -- as part of the actual statute -- that are now part of the Manzullo bill. Again, the WCA applauds the intention of the VA Committee to move this issue forward. However, without specific references in the statue that we have addressed above, the legislation will not advance the goal of providing important chiropractic care to our nation's most deserving population, and may even have the perverse effect of retarding that goal. Sincerely, The World Chiropractic Alliance Board of Directors Veronica Gutierrez, D.C. Whitehouse Commission CAM Christopher Kent, D.C., Chairman of the NGO Health Committee, NGO Representative to the United Nations Department of Public Information. Fred Barge, D.C., Past president of the International Chiropractors Association Patrick Gentempo, D.C., Co-founder, Chiropractic Leadership Alliance Terry A. 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