Why should wounded have to wait for care?

Veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan deserve more immediate care
Today's Topic: Backlog deepens for veterans care
The Tennessean - Nashville,TN,USA

Our View
How much more can veterans be asked to endure?

First, they are sent to fight in hostile conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, sometimes more than once. Their tours of duty are extended. Some are injured by gunfire, an improvised explosive device, or suffer a mental disorder because of the constant stress.


They return to the states and need medical attention. If they're lucky, they will only have to wait four months to receive it.

Four months is the national average. In the Washington, D.C., area, it is more like six months, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

It's no wonder that veterans groups nationwide are upset. Two organizations, Veterans United for Truth and Veterans for Common Sense, have filed suit against the Department of Veterans Affairs, demanding reform. Though a judge threw out their suit over a jurisdictional issue, the groups have appealed.

That the VA has had problems responding to veterans' needs is not news. But the problem is rapidly worsening, despite signs only a year ago that the situation might improve.

In May 2007, Congress boosted funding to improve VA facilities, beef up mental-health services and expedite disability claims. Two months later, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson stepped down, part of a move to bring fresh leadership, and a presidential commission recommended broad reforms in veterans care that included a Web site for medical records.

According to the recent GAO report, the HealtheVet program, as the modernized recordkeeping program for health claims is called, is so far behind that it won't be ready until 2018, six years later than planned.
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