LEGISLATIVE ALERT BULLETIN -- IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED --
VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION ISSUE
To: Doctors of Chiropractic
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This is an important LEGISLATIVE ALERT BULLETIN concerning efforts to
make chiropractic benefits available in the Veterans' Administration
health care system. Please read this bulletin carefully and TAKE
IMMEDIATE ACTION AS REQUESTED.
BACKGROUND:
As you know, chiropractic benefits are typically denied to patients
receiving care in the Veterans' Administration (VA) health care
system. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has long opposed
this discrimination against the chiropractic profession and supports
federal legislation which would mandate the full integration of
chiropractic health care into the VA health care system.
As a result of joint lobbying efforts by the ACA and the Association
of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) on this issue, both the Republican and
Democrat members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee are giving
serious consideration to passing legislation (as part of the Veterans'
Millennium Health Care Act) which would require the VA to implement a
pilot program to make chiropractic benefits available to a select
number of VA treatment facilities around the nation. Such a pilot
program could potentially lead to the important goal of full
integration of chiropractic care into the VA health care system.
The passage of legislation implementing a chiropractic pilot program
is by no means guaranteed. In fact, the Veterans' Administration,
which is facing significant budget reductions this year, has already
testified in opposition to the pilot program before the House
Veterans' Affairs Committee. For this reason, significant grassroots
efforts are urgently needed to build support for this chiropractic
initiative.
ACTION NEEDED:
The House Veterans' Affairs Committee is expected to make a final
decision regarding this matter in the very near future. Doctors of
Chiropractic with members of Congress serving on the House Veterans'
Affairs Committee need to immediately write, fax, and call their
members of Congress and urge support for the inclusion of the
chiropractic pilot program in the Veterans' Millennium Health Care
Act. The names and phone numbers of the members of the House
Veterans' Affairs Committee are list below (for a sample letter and to
identify your Representative, please see the ACA website at
"www.amerchiro.org" under Hot Topics). Where possible, chiropractic
patients who are veterans should also be recruited to make calls and
send letters as well.
Your Representative's address -
The Honorable XXXXX
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not
hesitate to contact the ACA Department of Government Relations at
(703) 276-8800. Thank you for your prompt response to this URGENT
ALERT BULLETIN.
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Members of the House Veteran' Affairs Committee
Richard H. Baker (LA-06) PH (202) 225-3901 FAX: (202) 225-7313
Shelley Berkley (NV-01) PH (202) 225-5965 FAX: (202) 225-3119
Michael Bilirakis (FL-09) PH (202) 225-5755 FAX: (202) 225-4085
Corrine Brown (FL-03) PH (202) 225-0123 FAX: (202) 225-2256
SteveBuyer (IN-05) PH (202) 225-5037
Julia M. Carson (IN-10) PH (202) 225-4011 FAX: (202) 225-5633
Helen P. Chenoweth (ID-01) PH (202) 225-6611 FAX: (202) 225-3029
Michael F. Doyle (PA-18) PH (202) 225-2135 FAX: (202) 225-3084
Lane Evans (IL-17) PH (202) 225-5905 FAX: (202) 225-5396
Terry Everett (AL-02) PH (202) 225-2901 FAX: (202) 225-8913
Bob Filner (CA-50) PH (202) 225-8045 FAX: (202) 225-9073
James A. Gibbons (NV-02) PH (202) 225-6155 FAX: (202) 225-5679
Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) PH (202) 225-8203 FAX: (202) 225-7810
James V. Hansen (UT-01) PH (202) 225-0453 FAX: (202) 225-5857
John David Hayworth (AZ-06) PH (202) 225-2190 FAX: (202) 225-3263
Ray LaHood (IL-18) PH (202) 225-6201 FAX: (202) 225-9249
Howard McKeon (CA-25) PH (202) 225-1956 FAX: (202) 226-0683
Jerry Moran (KS-01) PH (202) 225-2715 FAX: (202) 225-5124
Collin Peterson (MN-07) PH (202) 225-2165 FAX: (202) 225-1593
Jack Quinn (NY-30) PH (202) 225-3306 FAX: (202) 226-0347
Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) PH (202) 225-4831 FAX: (202) 225-2016
Ciro D. Rodriguez (TX-28) PH (202) 225-1640 FAX: (202) 225-1641
Ronnie Shows (MS-04) PH (202) 225-5865 FAX: (202) 225-5886
Michael K. Simpson (ID-02) PH (202) 225-5531 FAX: (202) 225-8216
Christopher H. Smith (NJ-04) PH (202) 225-3765 FAX: (202) 225-7768
Vic F. Snyder (AR-02) PH (202) 225-2506 FAX: (202) 225-5903
Floyd Spence (SC-02) PH (202) 225-2452 FAX: (202) 225-2455
Cliff Stearns (FL-06) PH (202) 225-5744 FAX: (202) 225-3973
Bob Stump (AZ-03) PH (202) 225-4576 FAX: (202) 225-6328
From: ACA Department of Government Relations
Date: June 2, 1999
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
