The Public Policy Agenda reflects our association’s public policy priorities. The document guides us in determining our positions on bills before the General Assembly. It also serves as a template for information that VATA members can share with their legislators when contacting them and developing their relationships with legislators.

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There are six components to our public policy priorities: supporting policies that provide access to injury prevention and adequate assessment and treatment of injuries of athletes and the services of ATs. This means that we want to emphasize the following:

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• Athletes should know how to prevent injuries.

• ATs can help athletes in gaining the competence they need to prevent injuries.

• ATs are concerned with minimizing athletic injuries through careful assessment of environmental risks and safety.

• ATs are the preferred providers of care in preventing, recognizing, and treating athletic injuries.

• Every public secondary school needs an AT.

• When billing for services, ATs should be reimbursed by insurance for services within their scope of practice.

 

While we may think these priorities are self-evident, each of the priorities needs adequate explanation to our legislators through data and examples. For each, there is an opposing viewpoint, and we must be prepared to state why our position is preferred—through truthful explanations and without disrespecting the opposition.