Jun 22, 2015 06:00 AM EDT
Department of Veterans Affairs Waiting List Increases Compared to Last Year

The New York Times reported, that the Department of Veterans Affairs' waiting lists of veterans seeking health care, increased 50 percent higher compared last year.

Ahead of its Sunday editions, the Times posted a story online, the Department of Veterans Affairs had a deficiency of nearly $3 billion. The agency is now considering a leave of absence and is doing some important moves to lessen the deficit.

The Department of Veterans Affairs last year, veterans' patient visits per year, escalated by more than 7 million,that's double the capacity of what officials originally thought they needed to fix. The agency officials did not expect  the demands of the veterans would continue to soar regarding the physician workloads. However, the demand increased by one-fifth of some major veterans hospitals.

In an interview with the newspaper, Sloan D. Gibson - the department's deputy secretary, stated: "Something has to give," Gibson also added: "We can't leave this as the status quo. We are not meeting the needs of veterans, and veterans are signaling that to us by coming in for additional care, and we can't deliver it as timely as we want to."

The department widely increases their access to care, since last year's waiting-list scandal broke. The agency's doctors and nurses have manipulated 2.7 million more appointments compared in any previous year. And additional 900,000 patients were authorized to see outside physicians.

The Department of Veterans Affairs officials is planning  to petition Congress this week, to provide more money for the program and conquer the running short of cash. And to push through in using funds from the new program which was a priority for congressional Republicans called the Choice Card - a certain veteran has a privileged to have a taxpayer-funded care from private doctors.

Sloan D. Gibson said that, by the increased number of new patients the officials were stunned. And Gibson was frustrated regarding the running short of funds of the agency.

 PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST