Veterans with severe ailments

Veterans with severe ailments
face long waits for care
VA is struggling to meet needs
STELLA M. HOPKINS
shopkins@charlotteobserver.com

Online Database: VA Hospitals
Archive | Coverage of VA hospital issues
`The care has been kind of slow'
Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffering traumatic brain injury, grave wounds or serious illnesses often wait longer for outpatient appointments than the 30-day VA standard, according to an Observer analysis of two internal VA reports.

The analysis of 283,000 recent outpatient appointments showed that the VA scheduled 93 percent within 30 days, a key measure of the agency's ability to meet demand. That left 20,500 waiting longer.

At issue: Patients needing critical care accounted for 10.5 percent of total appointments scheduled, but 20 percent of those with longer waits.

The Observer's findings could signal that the VA is struggling to care for the neediest of the new veterans. Critics and veterans advocates say the system is overwhelmed, poorly managed and lacks medical specialists.

http://www.charlotte.com/observer/story/327488.html