VA Still Challenged to Provide Veterans Timely Health Care, Watchdog Says

After more than a decade, veteran access to timely health care is still the No. 1 challenge for the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a government watchdog.

The Government Accountability Office unveiled the finding as part of its annual High Risk List of recommendations for the federal government, released in May. The agency says it first raised concerns in 2012 about the VA's "difficulties" in overseeing veteran health care, including primary care.

How is it that the VA has not knocked timely health care from the top of the list of concerns? According to the GAO, by not fixing the problems that the watchdog agency identified 10 years ago. The GAO's report, made public May 30, shows that while the VA has made progress, many old issues are still unresolved.