As thousands of brave men and women of the armed forces return home from war, many will seek treatment at hospitals for physical and mental issues at Veterans Affairs' (VA) facilities. However some concerns have been raised about the waiting time that many face, resulting in the proposed hiring of 1,900 new personnel.
The issue was highlighted by a recent report by the inspector general, which found that almost half of returning service members were forced to wait 50 days to book an appointment. As a result, the VA leadership has called for more staff., However, some in Congress have said the reaction was inappropriate and it may be the system itself that must be made more efficient.
"If VA doesn't even have a complete picture of the problem, how confident can we be that access will be increased and care enhanced by the VA's knee-jerk reaction," said Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL), said during an oversight hearing, according to The Associated Press. "This is not the first time we have been here."
However, some employment experts say that the cuts to government hiring has hurt job numbers. According to recent analysis by The Wall Street Journal, the current unemployment rate would stand at 7.1 percent if public sector jobs hadn't been cut.