 |
| For Questions Call/Text Dr. Jimenez Personally @ 915-540-8444 or Contact Us @ 915-850-0900 |
In 2002, President George Bush signed Public Law 107-135,
which assures chiropractic treatment for all eligible Veterans Affairs
patients. Although, many veterans are not aware this service is available to
them, despite its inclusion in their Medical Benefits Package since 2004.
Additionally, the VA is still seeking to make this service
accessible to all veterans requiring care. According to the American
Chiropractic Association, or ACA, only 48 of 152 Veterans Affairs Medical
Centers currently offer chiropractic care for their patients.
If you’re a veteran suffering from a musculoskeletal
disorder, or pain in the muscles, joints and bones, chiropractic care may be a
treatment option for you.
The ACA defines chiropractic as a healthcare profession that
focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, as
well as the effects of these disorders on overall health. More specifically,
doctors of chiropractic, or DCs, treat individuals experiencing injuries or
conditions associated with the bones, joints, muscles, and nerves. Through the
common chiropractic methods of treatment, a chiropractor utilizes spinal
adjustments or manual manipulations which is described as the administration of
force to joints that have restricted mobility as a result of damaged or injured
tissue in order to restore the joint’s natural state of mobility and allow the
tissue to heal while relieving pain.
Frequently, individuals seek chiropractic care for back pain
but chiropractors can also assist individuals suffering from neck pain or other
types of pain resulting from an injury or accident, muscle spasms, headaches,
pinched nerves, sciatica, and other complications relating to the spine, bones,
and muscles.
Veterans in general have a higher chance of developing any
of these conditions due to the strict nature of their military duties. The
Seattle Times stated that merely walking and wearing heavy gear has caused many
veterans a variety of musculoskeletal injuries. According to the article by Hal
Bernton, “The number of soldiers medically retired from the Army with at least
one musculoskeletal condition increased nearly 10-fold from 2003 to 2009.”
These numbers were determined according to Army statistics.
As formerly mentioned, the law guarantees chiropractic care
to all eligible veterans but currently, not all VA facilities are equipped to
offer this service. As a veteran who would benefit from chiropractic treatment,
there are two possible options for you. First, contact your Veterans Affairs
primary care provided, or PCP, and determine if they can provide this service
on site. If they do, ask to begin the process for approval. Second, if your PCP
does not offer chiropractic treatment, the VA can use its fee-basis option,
where they cam refer you to a private chiropractic clinic and cover the bill for
you and this process also requires approval from your PCP.
Although Veterans Affairs has made great efforts to offer
more chiropractic care throughout their VA Medical Clinics, many veterans still
have limited access to treatment. The Patriot Project was started by Dr.
Timothy P. Novelli back in 2012 and its currently another option for active
duty service members and veterans who require medical assistance.
The Patriot Project was established to contribute with free
chiropractic treatment for veterans with disabilities associated to their
service, active duty military members and their families, and Gold Star
dependents. The incentive for the development of this project began when
Novelli traveled to Texas in 2012 for a HALO for Freedom Warrior Foundation
which gathered and treated more than 150 service members in need of
chiropractic care. He then understood that he could produce comfort and relief
to many military service members and veterans whom didn’t know chiropractic was
a possible treatment option.
Once he returned to North Canton, Ohio, Novelli gathered the
support of doctors of chiropractic around the community to provide this service
to veterans for free. Currently, over 500 chiropractors across all 50 states
are participating in the Patriot Project. Every cooperating chiropractor
guarantees to treat one qualified Patriot Project patient per week. The goal
was to involve 6,000 chiropractors in the project, which is the same as
$100,000,000 of free chiropractic treatment to America’s Service Members.
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
For Additional Information:
