(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday it provided more service to veterans than in any previous year but acknowledged it has plenty of work still left to do.
The agency said it delivered more than 127.5 million health care appointments, a 6% increase over last year’s record. During this fiscal year, wait times decreased and VA health care outperformed non-VA care on independent reviews for patient satisfaction and care quality, the agency said.
“Veterans deserve the very best from VA and our nation, and we will never settle for anything less,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said. “We’re honored that more Veterans are getting their earned health care and benefits from VA than ever before, but make no mistake: there is still work to do.”
The agency also delivered more benefits to more veterans. VA delivered $187 billion in benefits (including $173 billion in compensation and pension benefits) to 6.7 million veterans and survivors this year – all of which are all-time records.
VA also processed 2,517,519 disability benefit claims, a 27% increase over last year’s all-time record.
The Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated health care system in the nation, providing care at 1,380 health care facilities, including 170 VA Medical Centers and 1,193 outpatient sites to more than 9.1 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program.
