Community Care Provider
Compassion Massage is honored and privileged to announce it has been selected by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a reputable Community Care provider for massage therapy by the VA Office of Community Care.
Compassion Massage and veteran-care go hand and hand. Recent research has shown that more U.S. veterans are struggling with symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, anxiety, depression and insomnia. Massage therapists can help veterans make strides in their health and well-being by reducing physical pain, decreasing anxiety, alleviating symptoms of depression, while also improving sleep. Research also suggests that massage therapy can help veterans with PTSD by producing significant reductions in pain, tension, irritability, anxiety and depression.
How to Start
Visit VA PCP The Veteran will need to visit their VA approved Primary Care Physician to assess if massage is medically necessary. |
PCP Submits Request to VA The Primary Care Physician submits a request to the VA Medical Center to establish medical necessity for massage. |
VA Sends Authorization to Compassion Massage Once the VA Medical Center has reviewed and approved the PCP request, an authorization for care will be sent to Compassion Massage. The Veteran will be contacted to arrange the initial appointment. |
If you’re a veteran and you’re interested in receiving care at Compassion Massage, your first step is to contact your primary care doctor (PCP) to determine if massage is medically necessary. If massage is deemed medically necessary, the PCP will then contact the VA and recommend Compassion Massage as your Community Care Provider. Once Compassion receives your authorization for massage therapy from the VA, you’ll be able to set-up your weekly massage appointments at no charge to you. The VA will be billed directly for your care by Compassion Massage. The average massage prescription through the program is one 60 minute massage per week, for 26 weeks. That’s 6 months of care!
Why Veterans?
Cathrine Thibault, the owner of Compassion Massage, is the wife of Justin Thibault, a proud US Air Force veteran with 14 years of service. Justin served 10 years active duty overseas and four years reserve duty, spanning from 2002 to 2016. During Justin’s career he was stationed at RAF Mildenhall England, Osan Air Base Korea, Elemendorf Air Force Base Alaska, Incirlik Air Base Turkey, Yokota Air Base Japan, and Westover Air Reserve Base Massachusetts. Cathrine worked as a massage therapist at both Elmendorf AFB Alaska from 2008-2010 and Yokota AB Japan from 2010-2012. In Japan, Cathrine was the only massage therapist for the entire Air Base community and served both military and civilian clients. She witnessed how the stress of military life coupled with a high deployment tempo affected her clients and their families. Concluding their Air Force tour in Japan, Cathrine and Justin had their first child, Joshua, before transitioning stateside to Leominster, MA. As a veteran family who has experienced numerous overseas tours, deployments, and the family sacrifices that come with both, Cathrine and Justin personally understand what it means to be part of the military and serve the greater good.
Contact us now if you need more information or if you would like help getting into the program.