{"id":114451,"date":"2016-04-19T21:31:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-19T21:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:59:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:59:44","slug":"despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Military veterans The Government Accountability Office has found that veterans <\/span>continue to wait several weeks prolonged periods <\/span>for medical care, according to a new watchdog\u00a0report,\u00a0contradicting\u00a0assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials\u00a0that most patients see a doctor within six days\u00a0are waiting less than a week to\u00a0see a doctor<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released Monday, the A <\/span>Government Accountability Office’s review of appointment wait times<\/a> for patients veterans <\/span>new to VA health care found that\u00a0veterans wait three to eight weeks for medical appointments. Others at the VA, and about\u00a0a sixth<\/span> could not see a primary care doctor at all because\u00a0VA medical center <\/span>staff did not handle their<\/span> appointments correctly, the report GAO report says\u00a0according to a GAO report released on Monday<\/a><\/span>. [[[I STRIPPED THE ONE-SIXTH REF BECAUSE THERE WASN’T A COMPARABLE STAT FOR THE 3- TO 8-WEEKS REF. DO YOU HAVE THAT DATA? IT’D BE GOOD ADD A SENTENCE STATING CLEARLY HOW MANY CASES GAO REVIEWED AND HOW MANY OF THOSE FELL INTO THESE TWO CATEGORIES]]]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday,\u00a0VA Secretary Bob McDonald said 97 percent of VA\u00a0appointments at VA <\/span>are completed within 30 days, with the average wait time from three to six days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The discrepancy between the data\u00a0is the result of\u00a0the way <\/span>GAO and VA measure wait times differently, which is why there’s a discrepancy: According to GAO health care issues director\u00a0Debra Draper, <\/span>VA starts counting from the day a VA <\/span>scheduler returns a veteran’s call or request for an appointment, according to GAO health care issues director\u00a0Debra Draper.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draper said VA should count from the day a veteran calls to request an appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference is crucial, Draper said, to understanding whether appointment wait times actually <\/span>are in fact decreasing at the department<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Since 2000, and in particular, over the past five years, we have consistently reported on the VA’s failure to ensure veterans timely access to health care,” Draper told House Veterans Affairs Committee members on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VA was rocked by scandal in 2014 when an investigation revealed that some\u00a0VA hospitals maintained appointment schedules outside the official system, and lengthy delays in care contributed to some veterans’ deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draper said the same issues that led to the VA scandal\u00a0\u2014\u00a0ongoing schedule errors, including incorrectly revising dates when rescheduling appointments\u00a0\u2014\u00a0continue to be a problem for the department<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We think that from the time the veteran requests care and they actually receive care, this should be counted … this is going to make VA a better system,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In his 14th full committee hearing since 2011 to discuss patient access and wait times, <\/span>House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., appeared to be annoyed expressed annoyance that <\/span>by VA’s\u00a0continues to uses a different <\/span>measurement metrics than what he believes makes more sense\u00a0\u2014 counting from the day a veteran first contacts VA for care<\/span>. They’re\u00a0VA’s continued adherence to a\u00a0system that is <\/span>prone “to manipulation,” is troubling, <\/span>he said added<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The\u00a0obvious result of VA reporting only a portion of veterans’ actual wait times is artificially low results.\u00a0I still do not understand a culture that persists in presenting inaccurate data to this committee, or more important, to the veterans of this country,” Miller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VA Undersecretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin told Miller and committee members that\u00a0since taking office last year, his top priority has been to fix access issues at VA and reduce continue to work on reducing <\/span>wait times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To accomplish this, he told the committee, he needed to install new leadership at the Veterans Health Administration and emphasize the VA’s commitment to access among all employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All VHA employees now have a set of foundational principles\u00a0called “MyVA Access Declaration,” to guide them to providing timely care to former service members, according to Shulkin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A year from now we will not be having this discussion,<\/span>” on wait times, Shulkin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draper said the GAO has begun meeting with\u00a0VA officials to help the department VA <\/span>develop action plans with “metrics we can both agree to” \u2014 a step\u00a0that will help measure whether progress is being made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers said Tuesday that the prolonged wait times at VA are an ongoing issue for constituents who must wait months for health care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You paint too rosy a picture,” Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., told Shulkin. “The system is broken. The\u00a0people in my district are frustrated and angry.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The\u00a0GAO is continuing to find fault in the way you collect data\u00a0and how you are reporting it. You can understand why we are still skeptical\u00a0that you are touting the number that 96 percent of all patients\u00a0are seen before this arbitrary goal of 30 days,” said Rep. Raul Ruiz, a medical doctor and California Democrat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The House and Senate are currently working on veterans omnibus legislation that will address issues with the Veterans Choice program, including access to care, and accountability for VA employees who are found to be guilty of negligence or malfeasance in their duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patricia Kime covers military and veterans health care and medicine for Military Times. She can be reached at pkime@militarytimes.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Military veterans continue to wait several weeks for medical care, according to a new watchdog report, contradicting assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials that most patients are waiting less than a week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":102779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":25,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3267],"class_list":["post-114451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7DC5N2MRXRBV3MXJYP6S6UMRWE","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nDespite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Military veterans continue to wait several weeks for medical care, according to a new watchdog report, contradicting assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials that most patients are waiting less than a week.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Military veterans continue to wait several weeks for medical care, according to a new watchdog report, contradicting assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials that most patients are waiting less than a week.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-04-19T21:31:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T12:59:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patricia Kime\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Patricia Kime\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2016-04-19T21:31:30+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T12:59:44+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 869,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Veterans\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor - Military Times\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2016-04-19T21:31:30+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T12:59:44+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Military veterans continue to wait several weeks for medical care, according to a new watchdog report, contradicting assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials that most patients are waiting less than a week.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/19\\\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t \"description\": \"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Military Times\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor - Military Times","description":"Military veterans continue to wait several weeks for medical care, according to a new watchdog report, contradicting assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials that most patients are waiting less than a week.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor","og_description":"Military veterans continue to wait several weeks for medical care, according to a new watchdog report, contradicting assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials that most patients are waiting less than a week.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/","og_site_name":"Military Times","article_published_time":"2016-04-19T21:31:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T12:59:44+00:00","author":"Patricia Kime","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Patricia Kime","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor","datePublished":"2016-04-19T21:31:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T12:59:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/"},"wordCount":869,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/","name":"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor - Military Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2016-04-19T21:31:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T12:59:44+00:00","description":"Military veterans continue to wait several weeks for medical care, according to a new watchdog report, contradicting assertions from top Veterans Affairs officials that most patients are waiting less than a week.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/19\/despite-what-the-va-says-veterans-still-wait-weeks-to-see-a-doctor\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Despite what the VA says, veterans still wait weeks to see a doctor"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","name":"Military Times","description":"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization","name":"Military Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","caption":"Military Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Military Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635966835825987001-ap-899576252336jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114469,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114451\/revisions\/114469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114451"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=114451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}