Wait Time Critical in VA Care

USA Today analyzed data on wait times at veterans centers following a survey in which VA clinicians raised concerns that the agency was ill-equipped to handle the growing numbers of veterans with mental health issues. The analysis of VA-provided data showed that it took three to six weeks for veterans to begin mental health treatment at more than 30 percent of Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in the United States.

But that wasn’t true for the St. Cloud center, according to data that included more than 130 hospitals/clinics from October 2010 to July 2011. At the St. Cloud VA during that period, there were 383 new patient appointments. The average number of days from the first request for an appointment to the actual date on which the veteran is seen by a doctor at the St. Cloud VA is about 11 days — about three days less than at the Minneapolis VA, the data showed.

“Independent reports show that access to VA mental health care is equal to or better than private medical practices,” said Barry Venable, public affairs officer for the St. Cloud VA Health Care System...