Searching for a Va Chiropractor? Most veterans have earned a chiropractic benefit through the VA and never use it. Sometimes that’s because no one told them it was covered. More often, they’ve lived with the back, neck, or joint pain so long that they don’t connect it to something the VA will actually pay for — so they get handed a prescription instead.
If you’re a veteran in Wayzata, Plymouth, Minnetonka, or anywhere in the Minneapolis West Metro, chiropractic care and acupuncture are covered VA benefits for eligible veterans, and at The Brost Clinic they usually cost you nothing out of pocket. There’s one step you have to get right first, and we’ll get to it. Start with why this care tends to fit veterans so well.
Why veterans carry more back, neck, and joint pain
Military service is hard on the body in ways that show up years later. Rucking under load, body armor, repetitive lifting, hard landings, and long hours in vehicles all put strain on the spine and joints. It adds up.
Low back pain is one of the most common causes of disability among service members — back-related conditions account for roughly a fifth of the diagnoses that lead to disability discharge. Chronic low back pain also hits veterans at higher rates than the general public. So the ache a lot of veterans write off as “just getting older” often has a real mechanical cause, and that’s the kind of problem chiropractic care is built to address.
What chiropractic care can help with
Doctors of chiropractic diagnose and manage non-surgical musculoskeletal problems — most commonly the low back, neck, and other joints. For veterans, the complaints that tend to fit are the everyday ones that wear you down:
Chronic and recent-onset low back pain, neck pain and stiffness, sciatica, tension and cervicogenic headaches, and pain in the shoulders, knees, ankles, and other joints. Treatment usually combines hands-on spinal adjustments, manual therapy, active rehab and exercise, and plain guidance on how to move and load your body without flaring things up. Many patients find it takes the edge off pain and helps them move more freely. Results vary from person to person, and a good chiropractor will tell you honestly when something is outside what adjustment can help.
What the research shows
The largest study on this was published in JAMA Network Open in 2018. It looked at active-duty personnel with low back pain and found that adding chiropractic care to usual medical care produced moderate short-term improvements in pain and disability, with high patient satisfaction. Treatment guidelines have moved the same direction: non-drug options like spinal manipulation are increasingly recommended among the first things to try for low back pain, before escalating to stronger measures.
That fits where the VA itself has been heading. Veterans face higher rates of opioid use tied to chronic pain, and the VA has pushed hard toward drug-free pain care. Chiropractic gives you a hands-on, medication-free option — not a cure-all, but a real tool that a lot of veterans wish they’d tried sooner.
What the VA covers — and the one step you can’t skip
Chiropractic care has been part of the VA’s standard medical benefits package since 2004, and Congress first authorized it in 1999. When a local VA doesn’t have an on-site chiropractor, or one isn’t close by, that care is delivered through the VA Community Care Network at an approved clinic like The Brost Clinic.
Here’s the part that trips people up, and the single most important thing to know: the VA has to authorize your care before you book the appointment. It works like this — you talk to your VA primary care or specialty provider, they put in a referral, and the VA Community Care office issues an authorization. Only once that authorization is on file can we schedule you. Show up without it and you’d be looking at paying out of pocket, which is exactly what the benefit is there to prevent.
The approval can take a few weeks, sometimes longer, so it pays to start the conversation with your VA provider early. Once it’s in place, the rest is easy — we handle the paperwork and billing from there. Authorizations typically cover a block of visits, often somewhere in the range of about 12 to 20, depending on your case and your VA reviewer, and more can be requested if you need them. Exams and X-rays are generally covered when medically needed, as long as they’re part of the authorization. Chiropractic and acupuncture are usually authorized separately, so if you want both, mention both to your provider.
If you want the referral and authorization steps spelled out in detail, we walk through the whole process in our guide – Coming Soon! – or call us directly and we’ll help you navigate it.
Chiropractic for veterans across the West Metro
The Brost Clinic serves veterans in Wayzata, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Orono, Mound, Long Lake, Maple Grove, Hamel, Medina, and the western suburbs of Minneapolis. We’re right off I-394 in Wayzata, and we’re open six days a week with extended evening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so care fits around work and appointments instead of the other way around.
What treatment looks like at The Brost Clinic
The clinic has been family-run since 1986, when Dr. Barbro Brost founded it. She was later named Chiropractor of the Year and the clinic was inducted into the Integrity Chiropractic Hall of Fame. It’s now led by second-generation owners Dr. Caroline Brost-Sailer and Dr. Shawn Sailer, and readers of Lake Minnetonka Magazine have voted it Best Chiropractic Practice twelve years running.
For a veteran using VA benefits, the practical advantage is that chiropractic, acupuncture, spinal decompression, shockwave therapy, massage, and rehabilitation are all under one roof in a 7,400-square-foot clinic. Your care can be adjusted to what your body actually needs — a gentle, low-force technique if you’re older or in acute pain, more active rehab as you get stronger — without bouncing between separate offices.
Frequently asked questions
Does the VA pay for a chiropractor?
Yes. Chiropractic is part of the standard VA medical benefits package for eligible, enrolled veterans, delivered either at a VA facility or through the Community Care Network at an approved community clinic.
Do I need a referral and authorization before my appointment?
Yes, and this is the step most people miss. You need a referral from your VA provider and an authorization from the VA on file before we can schedule you. Without it, you’d be responsible for the cost.
How long does authorization take?
Often a few weeks, sometimes longer, depending on your VA provider and the Community Care office. Start early.
How many visits does the VA cover?
Authorizations commonly come in blocks of roughly 12 to 20 visits, though it depends on your case and reviewer, and more can be requested if needed.
Is acupuncture covered too?
The VA covers acupuncture for eligible veterans when it’s clinically indicated. It’s usually authorized separately from chiropractic, so ask your provider about both.
Ready to use your benefit?
If you’re a veteran dealing with back, neck, or joint pain, talk to your VA provider about a chiropractic referral — then call us and we’ll take it from there. If you’re helping a parent or family member who served, you can start that conversation for them.
The Brost Clinic
1421 Wayzata Blvd E, Suite 100, Wayzata, MN 55391
New Patient Hotline: (952) 475-1998 · Main: (952) 473-9637
thebrostclinic.com
This article is general information, not medical advice. Whether chiropractic care is right for you depends on your condition and should be discussed with your provider.