The Department of Veteran Affairs says that 95 percent of patients seeking mental health care are evaluated with two weeks. A new report from the VA Inspector General, however, suggests those claims are vastly overstated – and less than half of patients are seen that quickly. The rest wait, on average, more than a month and a half. Former soldier Jacob Manning experienced the VA’s limitations first-hand in January. After he unsuccessfully tried to kill himself, a friend convinced Manning to call a local VA clinic for help. He was told to call back the next day because the clinic was about to close. His story was first reported in Stars and Stripes. Veteran Scott Swaim is the Director of Veteran Services at Valley Cities Counseling, has worked with many troubled former soldiers. He’s also a contractor for the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs’ War Trauma and PTSD Program.
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