Did you know that veterans can get a referral out for acupuncture?  As an acupuncturist in the VA Community Care network, Dorothy Pang, L.Ac sees vest with no payment from the veteran and direct payments from the VA.  

What types of complaints can a vet be treated for? 

Dorothy Pang, L.Ac. has treated vets for a variety of complaints. Many of our vets suffer from body pain.  Areas of body pain respond well to acupuncture, and acupuncture is a natural solution for vets that want to avoid dependency or reliance on heavy prescription medication.  She has treated vets for back pain, knee pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, and foot pain.  Musculo-skeletel pain in any body part can be treated with acupuncture.  Arthritis pains are also treated effectively with acupuncture. Pains that started after a procedure can be treated with acupuncture, and healing that has stalled can be jump started with acupuncture. Pains from old injuries can also be treated very effectively with acupuncture. 

Other nerve dysfunctions are also treated well with acupuncture, like tingling or numbness.  Acupuncture can be used to restore weak nerve function or regulate nerve dysfunction like tingling.  Nerves that lack sensation or weak muscles due to dysfunctional nerves can also be treated with acupuncture. Some vets may suffer from phantom limb pain. Interestingly, this type of pain also responds quite well to acupuncture treatment. 

Physical complaints can be well managed with acupuncture, and emotional complaints as well. 

Some vets get acupuncture authorizations to community care for emotional complaints. PTSD has been shown to respond well to acupuncture treatment, and with minimal side effects.  Anxiety and stress are reduced with acupuncture treatment.  Patients feel relaxed and can see benefits like better sleep and longer concentration periods.  They may find it easier to focus and their moods improve.  

What is the procedure for getting acupuncture via the VA Community Care Program? 

The current process at the San Francisco VA is this: 

The patient asks their primary VA doctor for Community Care acupuncture.  The VA doctor needs to put in the request for acupuncture for the veteran. The patient can specify a particular provider for the request. However, the provider must be in the Community Care Network.  Once the request enters the system, it goes to the Community Care office and the authorization is created.  The authorization needs to be approved, then it is faxed to the Community Care acupuncturist. (The timing for this process can vary; however if you don’t hear within 3 weeks you might want to check in. The communications happen via fax, which can be unreliable.) When the authorization is received by the acupuncturist, the acupuncturist calls the patient to schedule their appointments.  Authorizations are valid for a specific number of appointments within a particular time frame. The acupuncturist or the primary doctor may request for more visits if care is effective.  The veteran does not pay anything at the acupuncturist’s office as the billing is sent directly to the VA.

If you are interested in acupuncture via the VA Community Care Program and have questions, please call us at 650-588-0888 and we would be happy to answer them. However please note we cannot start treatment until after an authorization has been received from the VA.