A year ago, a scandal erupted for the Department of Veterans Affairs when it was discovered that patients were subject to extremely long wait times at VA hospitals. But a new report has found that despite VA reforms, patients are still facing long waits.
The Associated Press reports that since last summer, the number of medical appointments that were delayed between 30 and 90 days has stayed the same. And it gets even worse: The number of appointments taking longer than 90 days to complete "has nearly doubled," AP notes.
One out of every 36 patient visits to VA medical facilities were delayed for at least a month, according to AP. Almost 894,000 appointments didn't meet the VA's timeliness goal for patients to be seen within 30 days.
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Most of the 75 VA facilities with major delays are in the South, while few clinics in the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Coast saw delays. "The analysis reveals stark differences between the haves and have-nots," AP reports.
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