Whip Lash

Will I live tomorrow?
Well, I just can't say
But I know for sure
I don't live today
--I Don't Live Today, Jimi Hendrix
_______________

Another tale from the "We Love Our Veterans" crypt:

Last year the Department of Veterans Affairs finally got around to granting fee basis treatment for chiropractic and massage services for service-connected disabilities.

The operant terms here are "authorized treatment," "service-connection" and "fee basis". Ranger has documented parachute-related neck injuries clearly within the purview of the law, and has benefited by the chiropractic and massage treatment which has been authorized for the past year.

In February '09, the DVA cut off massage benefits, explaining that the services were no longer funded through fee basis. This contradicts the law, which has not changed (Ranger verified this through Congressman Boyd's vet rep, Michael Bishop.) Tallahassee and Gainesville VA Clinics are contravening National DVA guidelines.

Five months have passed, and Ranger still does not have massage therapy coverage. His primary care physician at the Tallahassee outpatient Clinic, Dr. Fajer, will not authorize the massage because she claims the policy is not to allow the treatment.

What's a poor boy to do?