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VA Says Growing Population Of Veterans Adds To Wait Time For Appointments

U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
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Veteran Affairs officials say steady growth in the veteran population and other factors are helping to drive up wait times at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.

Officials discussed why veterans sometimes face lengthy waits for appointments on Tuesday, a day after a federal audit revealed new patients seeking health care at the Oklahoma City veterans facility waited an average of 44 days for a primary care appointment.

The report by the Department of Veterans Affairs also found that new patients seeking specialty care had to wait about 48 days to be seen in Oklahoma City.

The medical center's director, Daniel Marsh, says veterans want to be treated at the Oklahoma City facility and that between 20 and 50 new veterans enroll every day seeking medical care.

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