U.S. veterans agency needs $17.6 billion to clear wait times: acting head

[DonViejo]

Source: Reuters

By Reuters
Wednesday, July 16, 2014 14:24 EDT

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs needs $17.6 billion in additional funding over the next three years to eliminate long waiting times for veterans’ healthcare appointments, the embattled agency’s acting chief said on Wednesday.

Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson told senators that without additional resources to buy private care and increase internal capacity, “the wait times just get longer” as more veterans return from wars, get older and turn to VA for healthcare.


Gibson told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that the $17.6 billion request would only last through the 2017 fiscal year. About $10 billion of the total would be needed to purchase private care for veterans and hire about 10,000 additional clinical staff, including about 1,500 physicians.

But to keep ahead of the rising population of veterans needing VA care, even more money will be needed in the future, Gibson said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/16/u-s-veterans-agency-needs-17-6-billion-to-clear-wait-times-acting-head/

[msongs]

1. so what would happen if we just put all these veterans on medicare instead? nt

[KamaAina]

2. That'd be a good start

towards Medicare for All.

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. Congress shouldn't okay wars without paying for the mess they leave.

[Stuart G]

4. Interesting to see if the Republicans will fund this.

I doubt it. They are always talk, no action..except stopping Democratic action..

[Blue Idaho]

6. You know they won't.

These nasty shits only care about Veterans as props in TV ads.

[freshwest]

7. +1

Last edited Wed Jul 16, 2014, 10:31 PM - Edit history (1)

[gussmith]

5. Just Unbelievable

We pay people to create (who) these disasters!!! An edit...

[lonestarnot]

8. PigliCons didn't foresee any of these minor details (veterans) when they were all warrior'n. They

still do not foresee any of the reasonably foreseeable consequences of their actions.