March 2007

Rep. Filner to introduce pro-chiropractic legislation

U.S. Congressmen Bob Filner, D-Calif., recently introduced two pieces of pro-chiropractic legislation, including a bill that calls on the federal government to expedite expansion of the chiropractic benefit through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system.

The bill, HR 1470, specifically requires the VA to have a chiropractor on staff at no fewer than 75 major VA medical centers before the end of 2009, and for all major VA medical centers to have a chiropractor on staff before the end of 2011. A similar bill was introduced last year during the 109th Congressional session, but the bill was not signed into law.

Filner, who is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, also introduced HR 1471, which is designed to provide veterans with direct access to chiropractic care at VA hospitals and clinics. The measure directly prohibits discrimination among VA healthcare providers when determining which services a patient needs.

Through previous congressional action, chiropractic care is now available at 30 VA facilities across the country; however, in the more than 120 facilities without a chiropractor on staff, the chiropractic care benefit that Congress authorized has not been implemented.  Detroit, Denver, and Chicago are a few examples of major metropolitan areas without a doctor of chiropractic available at the local VA facility.

Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org

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