On Dec. 20, 2001, the U.S. Senate voted to approve a bill that would make chiropractic available through the Veterans Affairs health system. The vote took place days after the House of Representatives gave its approval of the bill, containing language that permits chiropractors to provide subluxation correction.

Although specific reference to subluxations had been removed during the legislative process in the House, aggressive lobbying by the World Chiropractic Alliance was successful in reinstating the vital terminology.

The VA bill was originally introduced by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), which fought long and hard to win acceptance in both houses of Congress. Although its efforts were applauded by the profession, a segment of the profession expressed concern over the bill's initial wording, which stated that chiropractors would be allowed to provide "at minimum, care for neuromusculoskeletal conditions typical of those affecting all age groups within the eligible veterans population..."

No mention was made of subluxation correction and it was widely feared that the absence of a direct reference to chiropractic's unique service would restrict D.C.s to quasi-medical treatment of neuromusculoskeletal conditions. Many felt that M.D.s would be quick to argue they were better capable of providing that service.

"The one unique service only chiropractors offer is subluxation correction," stated Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., president of the World Chiropractic Alliance. "Medical doctors, physical therapists and osteopaths cannot claim to provide that unique service. Without reference to subluxation, the bill might have hurt rather than helped chiropractic."

In an attempt at compromise, the House staff put mention of the subluxation in the report language. The World Chiropractic Alliance was the only chiropractic organization that refused to agree to this and persisted in arguing for a change in the wording of the bill itself.

Some supporters criticized the WCA for its unyielding stand, fearing disagreement might scuttle the entire bill. "We understood the concerns of other chiropractic leaders," Dr. Rondberg stated. "But this was one case where half a loaf was not better than no loaf at all. We couldn't allow the bill to ignore our core beliefs, the foundation of our profession. Our veterans deserved more than that, and so did our profession."

Once it was clear than the inclusion of the subluxation language would not result in the bill's defeat, all segments of the chiropractic profession united in support of it.