washingtonexaminer.com

VA secretary: Disney doesn't measure wait times, so why should VA?

Sarah Westwood

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Monday compared the length of time veterans wait to receive health care at the VA to the length of time people wait for rides at Disneyland, and said his agency shouldn't use wait times as a measure of success because Disney doesn't either.

"When you got to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what's important? What's important is, what's your satisfaction with the experience?" McDonald said Monday during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters. "And what I would like to move to, eventually, is that kind of measure."

McDonald's comments angered House Speaker Paul Ryan, who tweeted out Monday afternoon, "This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines."

McDonald faced questions at the breakfast about the VA's lack of transparency surrounding how long veterans must wait to receive care at VA facilities around the country. The agency has weathered controversy over the past several years due to its struggle to provide timely care for many patients.

The VA secretary said most veterans report being satisfied with their care and argued that the average wait time for a veteran seeking VA treatment is only a matter of days.

He said he did not believe a measure called the "create date," which gauges a veteran's wait time by counting from the day the veteran first requests care, was a "valid measure" of a veteran's VA experience.

The Government Accountability Office released a report in April exploring the metric used to count a veterans' wait time, called the "preferred date." The measure does not count from the time a veteran first calls to make an appointment.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/va-secretary-disney-doesnt-measure-wait-times-so-why-should-va/article/2592021/

I bet waiting in line at DisneyWorld is even worse. =P

I've done some work for the VA in the past, under contract, and the crying need at many of these centers is more staff. =( The equipment and facilities are amazing; just not enough people to go around, and the government won't pay for more.

What a really, really, really, really, really stupid analogy to make

Maybe he took his grandkids there & got confused..

They kinda do.
I mean they offer VIP passes, and tour guides, and special passes for those with disabilities to go to the front of the line so they don't have to wait...so they are obviously aware that it matters.

Only an idiot like obama,
would put a vapid retard like McDonald
in charge of the V.A..

Fire the son of a valactamachaca. That's the offspring of a chupacabra!

I take my to the VA in Elpaso. Being Ft Bliss is here the wait times are normal.

Fire the son of a valactamachaca. That's the offspring of a chupacabra!

I just fell off the sofa!

Time to get rid of the coffee table

I just went to Disney last December, it's pretty quick to get in all the rides.

but getting VA appointment took for ever you need to wait for so many hours for them to entertain your concern even though you're in ER, some of them also think your a dope head if you check in your self in e.r, my late husband is a VA patient and took as forever to see a doctor and get an appointment on our concern, also doctors are sticking their butt to v.a instead of being honest to their patient..!!! my husband was diagnosed with lungs problems ,my opinion is from agent orange chemicals , his a Vietnam vets..,
we do all the test in VA hospital they don't want to admit the cause of it, VA is trying to avoid giving benefits or any settlement to their own people .. their excuse is they don't know hubby's medical history that they're just new hired..

I wonder if he tried to check in his self to VA facilities and Let's see if it's just a matter of days to address his concern...

Lol