2492 President Bush Signs Commissioning Bill
Printer Friendly Email a Friend PDF RSS Feed
Dynamic Chiropractic – November 20, 1992, Vol. 10, Issue 24

President Bush Signs Commissioning Bill

DOD Not Expected to Act

By Editorial Staff
On Friday, October 23, 1992, President Bush signed the Defense Authorization Bill (HR 5006). Section 505 of that bill authorizes the Secretary of Defense to "appoint chiropractors as commissioned officers in the armed forces to provide chiropractic care within the military health care system."

The long battle to get legislation passed that allows for commissioned officer status for DCs is a tribute to the perseverance and tenacity of the chiropractic profession.

The struggle to overcome the discrimination inherent in the military's policy toward chiropractic, however, is far from over.

Section 505 only authorizes the appointment of DCs as commissioned officers: it doesn't mandate the military to act.

In the Navy Times, we read first hand the military's opinion of section 505: "The Defense Department has no intention of commissioning chiropractors. At a time of tight budgets, health care officials believe the treatment a chiropractor can offer is unnecessary. Expect chiropractic to lobby Congress in 1993 to force a change."

The Navy Times got one thing right: expect chiropractic to force a change.

Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email .

To report inappropriate ads, click here.