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Study: VA Care For Women Lagging

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The Associated Press

Published: June 14, 2008

WASHINGTON - Health care for female military veterans lags behind the care offered to male vets at many VA facilities, an internal agency report says, even as women are serving on front lines at historic levels.

There are clear needs for more physicians trained in women's care and more equipment to meet women's health needs, said Friday's review by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Strides are being made, such as creating onsite mammography services and establishing women's clinics at most VA medical centers. The department also is attempting to recruit more clinicians with training in women's care.

For now, female veterans aren't getting the same quality of outpatient care as men in about one-third of the VA's 139 facilities that offer it, the report said. That appeared to validate complaints of advocates and members of Congress who want more emphasis placed on women's health.

Women make up about 5 percent of the VA's population, but that is expected to nearly double in the next two years.

Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said female veterans have complained about the lack of women's restrooms and private changing areas in some VA centers. Others have complained about the scarcity of women-only group counseling options.

Any discrepancies in care are unacceptable and the agency is aggressively addressing the issue, said William E. Duncan, associate deputy undersecretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

VA MEDICAL CARE

A review of care at Veterans Affairs facilities also found:

•Older and younger veterans appear to be receiving the same quality of care.

•About 86 percent of homeless veterans seen by VA received primary care, mental health care and/or substance abuse services.

•About 98 percent of appointments were completed within 30 days in primary care clinics and about 97 percent were completed during that period at specialty clinics.

•Overall quality of care appears to be good when reviewed using commonly accepted health care benchmarks.

•Minority veterans surveyed were generally less satisfied with inpatient and outpatient care than white veterans, but it wasn't clear if the quality of care offered was different. A more comprehensive study of care for minority veterans is expected to be complete this summer.

Source: The Associated Press

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