The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has improved wait times for new patient appointments in primary care and mental health care across its health care system.
According to VA, there was an 11 percent decrease in average wait times for VA primary care and a 7 percent decrease in average mental health wait times for new patients in April of 2024 compared to the same time last year.
“Whenever a veteran chooses VA for their care, we want them to know that we are going to take care of them – and we’re going to get them in for an appointment as quickly as possible,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough in a statement. “That’s the standard to which we hold ourselves, and we’ll never settle for anything less.”’
The reduced wait times show continued improvement after VA’s recent Access Sprints – a nationwide effort to offer more night clinics, weekend clinics, and appointment slots in daily clinic schedules.
“We’re reducing wait times for patients, even at a time when we’re delivering more care to more veterans than ever before,” added VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal. “VA is the only national health care institution in America that publishes its wait times, and we do so to ensure we are fully transparent with veterans and earn their trust. A shorter wait time for care makes a difference in a veteran’s life, and we will continue to build on the progress we’ve made to reduce wait times even further.”
Data from the access sprints shows that VA completed approximately 25,000 more new patient appointments, an increase of 11% compared to the same period last year; 81 percent of VA medical centers saw more new patients than the same period last year, and 12 percent fewer new patients are waiting more than 20 or 28 days for an appointment.
There was also a 19 percent decrease in the number of new patients waiting for longer than 20 days to receive primary care and a 9 percent decrease in the number of new patients waiting longer than 20 days for mental health care.
VA credits its recent health care enrollment increases to the bipartisan PACT Act, which has allowed it to expand its health care and benefits to millions of veterans. As a part of implementing this law, VA recently expanded health care eligibility for millions of veterans nationwide – years earlier than called for by the law. As of March 5, all veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military and meet certain requirements became eligible to enroll directly in VA health care.
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Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.