According to USA Today, more than 600,000 veterans are still waiting 30 days or more for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics around the country. While the overall number of veterans waiting the longest for care has reduced by 57%, specific facility improvements appear uneven, even under immense pressure from Congress and the public eye. For instance, 10 facilities reported wait times of more than three months for a new patient to see a specialist; the biggest culprit was the Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, clinic, where patients are waiting nearly six months.
“The events of the last year have proven that far too many senior VA leaders have lied, manipulated data, or simply failed to do the job for which they were hired,” said Rep. Jeff Miller, a Florida Republican and chairman of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, during a hearing Thursday.