11:37 AM to me 10/30/25

Urgent updates on VA MMT program

Dear Gregory,

We are reaching out to you to inform you of troubling developments with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Massage Therapy (MMT) program.

It has come to our attention that VA, through its third-party administrators (TPAs), has been cutting reimbursement in many parts of the country by a significant amount for MMT services performed under the CCN program, including always applying a discount called Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) and sometimes denying payment for patient education & self-care services. We do not believe these cuts and denials are proper and will take all appropriate action to remedy them. Despite our best and continuing efforts, however, VA and the TPAs thus far have refused to restore reimbursement to proper levels.

Unfortunately, these changes mean reimbursement is not covering our costs for each appointment, and Zeel therefore needs to take steps to ensure that the business remains competitive while we continue to negotiate with VA and the TPAs. Zeel is committed to making this program work for you and for the veterans in our care. The benefits of this program – including 52% of veterans reporting reduction or elimination of opioid usage – are too important to give up. Zeel has been fighting to preserve the program and will continue to do so.

As you know, Zeel provides a host of administrative and other services to our massage therapy providers so that you can focus on the important part: helping military veterans recover from traumatic injury and improving their overall quality of life. Among those benefits, for example, Zeel pays its providers the agreed-upon rate, regardless of whether the claim is paid in whole or in part or denied entirely. See all benefits here.

In order to sustain the program, we need to adjust the rate we pay you. Contingent upon our resolution of this reimbursement issue with VA and the payors, effective November 3, 2025, Zeel will need to implement appointment reimbursement reductions for VA appointments In addition, effective nationwide on November 3, 2025, we will discontinue the “referral completion” payments when therapists complete the first 11 and then all 12 treatments in a referral.

If and when we can convince VA and the TPAs to honor our expected contractual reimbursement rates, then we will revisit these reductions with you and adjust pay rates accordingly.

Just as important, we need your help to sound the alarm. Your services are invaluable to veterans: our clinical and medical research team recently published a whitepaper about the efficacy of medical massage. Please feel free to distribute the white-paper far and wide.

We also need your help to blanket Congress with messages about how decreased reimbursement and, in particular, eliminating payment for patient education, will have a negative effect on our veterans and MMT providers. Please take a few minutes to send a letter to your state’s two (2) US Senators and send a letter to your Representative.

It is essential that Members of Congress know how this change will affect you, your family, and the veterans we serve. Please share these links with other MTs in your network who serve veterans as well as any others you believe would support our cause. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is that YOUR voice is heard.

Thank you for your understanding, your support, and your dedication to our nation’s heroes.

Best,

Samer Hamadeh, Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Robert Peters, Chief Medical Officer

Zeel