Veterans still face long wait times at local VA clinics

HAMPTON — New data released from the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs shows local veterans in Hampton Roads continue to face wait times of a month or more for new appointments at local VA facilities.

by Arnaldo Rodgers

The new data shows, for the first time, wait times for patients at community-based outpatient clinics in addition to stats for regional medical centers.

The VA Regional Medical Center in Hampton has cut wait times down from an average of 48 days in June to 31 days, still just short of the 30-day target.

The Virginia Beach CBOC reported wait times of nearly two months–58 days–for new patients. The Albemarle CBOC in Elizabeth City reported a wait time of 46 days for new patients.

Ken Wiseman, a veteran who serves as the state surgeon for the Virginia Veterans of Foreign War, said he is not surprised by the continued long wait times at local clinics.

“The biggest complaint that I hear is about the waiting times,” he said.

Wiseman said he was encouraged by new reforms recently announced by new VA Secretary Robert McDonald, including pay hikes for VA doctors and dentists. McDonald has also announced a restructuring of the embattled department.

“The VFW is very excited to see a VA secretary with a business mindset,” Wiseman said. “We were happy to see a new set of eyes coming from the outside.”

Among the concerns Wiseman was most excited to see are renewed efforts to attract doctors and nurses.

A new report from The Arizona Republic on Monday found the VA wasn’t tracking medical job openings until this year.

But Wiseman acknowledged the chronic problem of wait times will not subside until more care providers are hired to treat the growing number of veterans.

In a statement in response to the new data, a spokesman for the Hampton VA Medical Center acknowledged the same staffing challenge.

“We are working hard to grow our capacity both internally and through collaboration with community and DoD partners. We have made some progress but have more work to do.”

National Improvement

More than 600,000 veterans — 10% of all the Veterans Affairs patients — continue to wait a month or more for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics, according to data obtained by USA TODAY.

The VA has made some progress in dealing with the backlog of cases that forced former secretary Eric Shinseki to retire early this year. For instance, the VA substantially cut the overall number of worst-case scenarios for veterans — those who had waited more than four months for an appointment. That figure dropped from 120,000 in May to 23,000 in October. Much of that improvement occurred because patients received care from private providers.

Since May, the VA has been reduced the number of veterans waiting longest for care — its top priority — by 57%, according to James Hutton, a VA spokesman. From June to September, the VA completed 19 million appointments, an increase of 1.2 million compared with the same time last year.

“VA’s goal continues to be to provide timely, high-quality healthcare for veterans,” Hutton said in a statement. “Veterans and VA employees nationwide understand the need for reform, and VA is committed to putting these reforms into place. And while we have significantly improved capacity and access to care, we have not yet achieved our intended state — systemic and timely access across the board. It will be an ongoing and significant effort to reach our goals.”

Congress calls for more improvement

Despite the improvement in wait times reflected in November’s new data, members of Congress have continued to call for more to be done.

“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. “It is also clear that VA’s attempt to instill accountability for these leaders has been both nearly non-existent and rife with self-inflicted roadblocks to real reform.”

In Hampton Roads, Rep. Scott Rigell (R-2nd) acknowledged some improvement but called for more to be done.

“Anything less than significant progress is unacceptable for our nation’s veterans,” Rigell said in a statement. “The new Secretary has announced a major restructuring of the VA, which is to be expected after recent events. However, here is a lack of trust and confidence in the VA, and that cannot be restored without removing from their positions those at the VA who have failed in their duties to care for our veterans.”