IAVA : VA is not delivering timely mental health care

Sean,

The VA is clearly broken—and our vets deserve answers.

For years, we've heard from IAVA members that the VA is not delivering timely mental health care. This week, the VA's own Inspector General confirmed it.  What's worse, the Inspector General found that the VA's own records of wait times "had no real value." Less than half of vets received a full evaluation within 14 days of seeking mental health care—despite VA claims that rate was 95 percent.

Sign IAVA's open letter to VA Secretary Shinseki demanding accountability for our nation's veterans.

It's estimated that 18 veterans commit suicide every day. VA Secretary Shinseki owes our community straight talk and a bold plan outlining how the VA will improve care for veterans of all generations.

As suicide rates skyrocket, delays at the VA should outrage every IAVA supporter —and the entire country. If you had a chest wound or broken leg, you wouldn't tolerate waiting to see a doctor. Yet, an Afghanistan vet seeking care in Spokane, Washington faces an 80-day average wait for an appointment to see a VA psychiatrist.

Watch a quick video from the Inspector General's Senate hearing this week. Then add your name to IAVA's open letter demanding answers from VA Secretary Shinseki.

Every day we hear from IAVA members at local events and across Twitter and Facebook about the bureaucratic delays that they face. But IAVA refuses to let vets slip through the cracks in their toughest moments of need. All veterans deserve a dynamic 21st century VA system that is responsive to their needs from the first day they get home through the rest of their lives.

Stand with us to demand answers and accountability.

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Founder and Executive Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

PS – Every year IAVA sends dozens of new vets to Storm the Hill. This past March, we met with over 140 Congressional offices to outline concrete solutions for improving VA care. Read our recommendations in IAVA's 2012 Policy Agenda.

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Sean P Eagan

Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans

Life Member Veterans of Foreign Wars
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