Mental Healthcare Delays Continue at the VA

Veterans seeking mental health services through the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System have one of the longest waits in the country. New patients wait an average of 67 days before they are seen by a psychiatrist.

A statement released by Central Alabama Veterans Affairs Health Care System claims that the goal of the system is “to provide timely, quality health care to veterans, which they have earned and deserve.” It serves approximately 42,000 veterans. One outpatient clinic in Columbus, Georgia is seeking to improve their wait time by establishing a same-day, initial evaluation for new patients.

U.S. Representative, Martha Roby, criticizes the Alabama system by stating, “To picture a soldier coming home from Afghanistan with PTSD and to have to wait two months to get treatment, that’s outrageous. Veterans need, and deserve, much better than that.”

Summary by MedicalGroups.com

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