WASHINGTON—What a difference a year makes. The 2019 “Our Care” report from the Veterans of Foreign Wars found that 91% of veterans surveyed recommend VA care to other veterans, up nearly 15% from last year’s 80%.
In addition, three-quarters of those veterans said that their local VA had improved over that time period.
The report is the seventh by the veterans’ organization to measure how veterans feel about the VA and to compile data about their experiences with the healthcare system. More than 6,900 veterans participated this year, bringing the total number of respondents to the VFW’s surveys to 33,000 from every state, territory and the District of Columbia since 2014.
The sample size for ages 21-29 (n=9) was too small to be representatives
“The VFW prides itself on having the ability to take the pulse of veterans, especially in evaluating what works at the VA and what doesn’t,” said VFW National Commander William J. “Doc” Schmitz, of Corning, N.Y. “Veterans turn to VA for high-quality, individualized care, but there is always room for improvement, especially in the areas of access to quality care inside VA medical facilities and outside in the communities.”
Overall, more than 80% of veterans said they were satisfied with the care they received through the VA. On one of the hot button issues for veterans in recent years, the VA did particularly well. Five out of 6 veterans reported that they received care in a timely manner, with 54% saying they received appointments within 14 days and 80% saying they waited less than 30 days for their most recent visit.
Those numbers were very similar to the wait times seen for community care. On the other end, 9% of veterans who received care at the VA said they waited more than 60 days, compared to 8% of those who received community care.
This year’s questions asked more about community care in light of the MISSION Act, which expanded access to care in local communities and introduced a new urgent care benefit, as of June 6. Even with improved access and resolution of most earlier payment issues, veterans still preferred to receive care from the VA, the study found.
“The innovations over the past year may have expanded non-VA care options, but the response has been more veterans enrolling in the VA for more care—and choosing to receive that care through VA, not an outside provider,” Schmitz said.
The number of visits conducted at VA facilities rose 1.7 million in the last year, according to Jennifer MacDonald, MD, director of Clinical Innovations and Education in the VHA’s Office of Connected Care.
“We conducted at the same time 1.6 million more community care appoints than in the prior year. That ties to the satisfaction shown in the VFW survey and what we see in social media and direct engagement and outreach with veterans,” she told U.S. Medicine. “We expect those numbers will continue to grow as we continue to modernize our underlying systems and focus on the veteran experience.”
Altogether, the additional 3.3 million visits handled by the VA represent a nearly 20% increase over the previous year.
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