Now running at Whole Health
Free Tai Chi classes meet every Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, at The Lodge in Valparaiso. They are open to everyone, with no referral and no cost, and every move has a seated option. Reserve a free spot or call or text (850) 610-1315. If you would like the VA to cover Tai Chi as part of your care, everything below explains how, and you can start the conversation with your VA team today.
Tai Chi is a slow, low-impact practice that combines gentle movement, balance, and breathing. The VA treats it as real care, not a perk: Tai Chi and Qigong are among the complementary and integrative health approaches the VA includes in the veterans medical benefits package when your care team decides it is clinically necessary. Here is how to get it.
Does the VA cover Tai Chi?
Yes, when it is clinically appropriate. Under VA policy on complementary and integrative health (VHA Directive 1137), Tai Chi and Qigong are one of eight approaches included in the veterans medical benefits package "when deemed clinically necessary" by your care team. The other seven are acupuncture, biofeedback, clinical hypnosis, guided imagery, massage therapy, meditation, and yoga.
The VA also says it covers complementary and integrative health services, and it names Tai Chi specifically, from in-network community providers when approved by your VA health care team. That approval is the referral this guide is about.
How Tai Chi is different from massage
This is the part most veterans do not hear up front. Massage is a one-on-one treatment, so it is usually sent out to a community provider like Whole Health. Tai Chi is different in two ways:
- The VA often teaches it in-house. Many VA facilities run Tai Chi as a group class, in person or by VA telehealth. The VA describes a typical course as about an hour, two or three times a week, for 12 to 24 weeks. If your VA offers it, that may be the fastest route, and no community care referral is needed.
- Community care is the backup, not the default. The VA can send you to a community provider for Tai Chi when it cannot provide it in-house, when the nearest VA facility is too far or the wait is too long, or when it is in your medical interest. Your VA team makes that call and issues the authorization.
Conditions Tai Chi may help
The VA notes that Tai Chi and Qigong may support the management of conditions such as:
- Chronic pain and arthritis, including knee osteoarthritis
- Balance problems and risk of falls
- Heart disease and breathing issues
- Parkinson's disease and recovery after stroke
- Osteoporosis
- Mood, stress, and sleep
As with massage, you do not have to diagnose yourself. Tie your request to a real, ongoing problem and let your VA provider make the clinical call.
Are you eligible?
- You are enrolled in VA health care. If not, that is step one (VA.gov can help you apply).
- For a VA class: your care team agrees Tai Chi is right for you and your facility offers it. That is all.
- For community care: you also meet the VA's community care criteria, for example the VA cannot provide the service, it is too far away, or the wait is too long. The VA decides eligibility, with your provider.
Step-by-step: how to get Tai Chi covered
Ask your VA provider
At your next visit, ask your VA primary care provider or specialist whether Tai Chi or Qigong is right for you, and connect it to a specific condition: pain, balance, arthritis, stress.
Ask for the Whole Health Point of Contact
Every VA facility has one. They know which complementary and integrative health options your VA offers on site or by telehealth, and how to enrol in a class.
Ask for a community care referral
If your VA cannot offer Tai Chi, or it is too far or the wait is too long, ask your provider to submit a community care referral for Tai Chi. The VA reviews it and issues an authorization.
Get scheduled
Once approved, the VA community care office or its administrator (Optum here in Florida) confirms the authorization and you are scheduled with an in-network community provider.
Where Whole Health fits
Whole Health is a community provider in the VA Community Care Network, serving veterans on the Emerald Coast with medically necessary massage today. We now teach Tai Chi, so veterans whose VA cannot provide it locally have somewhere close to home to go. For the VA to pay for it, the same rule applies as for massage: the VA must approve and authorize the care first, then we take it from there, including notes and billing back to the VA.
What will it cost you?
Care the VA has authorized through community care is covered by your VA benefits. Whether you owe a copay depends on your VA priority group and whether the care is tied to a service-connected condition. One thing to know: as of October 1, 2025, the VA charges a $15 copayment for certain Whole Health well-being services, such as wellness classes, for veterans in priority groups 6, 7, and 8, while clinically necessary complementary and integrative treatment follows the existing billing rules. Because a Tai Chi class can fall on either side of that line depending on how it is ordered, confirm your specific copay with the VA before you start.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just sign up for Tai Chi at Whole Health?
Yes. Our free Tuesday and Thursday classes are open to everyone, and you can reserve a spot online. For the VA to cover Tai Chi as part of your care, you need a community care referral authorized by the VA. You cannot self-refer for coverage, so start that conversation with your VA team.
Is Tai Chi one-on-one or a class?
At the VA it is usually a group class, in person or by telehealth. Community providers may offer small groups or individual instruction. Your authorization will say what has been approved.
Can I do it at home?
Yes. The VA's Whole Health program and its pain management resources include home practice videos for Tai Chi, and many veterans keep up a daily practice on their own after a course. Ask your Whole Health Point of Contact.
Is this the same as the VA's own Whole Health program?
No. Whole Health (wholehealth.vet) is a private, veteran-focused care network operated by I3M Wellness. We are not the VA and are not affiliated with the VA or its Whole Health program. We serve eligible veterans through the VA Community Care Network.
What if my provider says no?
Ask what would make it appropriate, connect the request more clearly to a documented condition, or ask the Whole Health Point of Contact what your facility offers. You can raise it again at a future visit.
Where this comes from
- VA Whole Health: Tai Chi and Qigong, which states Tai Chi is included in the medical benefits package when deemed clinically necessary.
- VA Whole Health: Complementary and Integrative Health, the list of eight approaches under VHA Directive 1137 and the statement that facilities may provide them in the community through the Community Care Network.
- VA: About our community care network and covered services, which lists Tai Chi among complementary and integrative health services covered from in-network community providers when approved by your VA health care team.
Want Tai Chi through Whole Health?
Come to a free class on Tuesday or Thursday at 10:30 AM at The Lodge in Valparaiso. If you would like the VA to cover it, we will help you work out your eligibility and next step.
Reserve a free spotIf you're in crisis or struggling, you're not alone. Call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1, or text 838255 — free, confidential, and available 24/7.
This guide is general information to help you navigate VA benefits and is not medical or legal advice. VA policies and copay rules can change — confirm the details that apply to you with the VA.