Readings Summarization:

The number of veterans seeking health care around the country is increasing. However, medical personnel and providers are not able to keep up with the demand. The Department of Veterans Affairs has increased their mental health staff and spending on that area of health care, but veterans still complained that they did not receive care in a timely manner, according to an article in the Dayton Daily News. A report concluded that most veterans must wait an average 50 days to receive care.

Senator Bernie Sanders recognized the staff shortage in an August press release. There are 9.3 million veterans enrolled in the VA health system, and the number is expected to increase in years to come. Sanders introduced a bill that would allocate $5 billion to the VA to hire more doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to fill vacancies in the system. President Donald Trump also announced efforts to improve veterans’ health care by using technology.

Bibliography:

Barber, Barrie (May 28, 2012). VA mental health care wait too long; VA report supports complaints that wait is averaging 50 days. Dayton Daily News. Retrieved from http://0-www.lexisnexis.com.library.uark.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/.

(August 6, 2017 Sunday). Washington: Sanders Introduces Bill to Strengthen Veterans’ Health Care. US Official News, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic

(August 4, 2017, Friday ). Trump promotes using technology to improve veterans health care. Charleston Gazette-Mail, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic

Questions:

1. For the sake of my beat, I’d like to see a more focused set of data on the wait times for minority veterans, specifically women veterans. Is that available? Where would I get it?
2. At the end of the VA Wait Times document, it says that revisions may be added. This document is dated in 2014. Have revisions been added? Where would we find that?