Chief among Whaley’s concerns is the VA’s “exponential growth in spending” compared with the diminishing size of the veteran population.

In 2001, there were approximately 25 million veterans, compared with today’s 18 million veterans. The number of veterans utilizing VA care has increased by nearly 200% during this period, from about 4.4 million in 1995 to around 9 million today. However, the VA’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget of $369.3 billion outstrips the department’s fiscal 2001 budget of $48 billion by more than 700%.

Whaley noted that exorbitant spending has not mitigated increasing veteran homelessness and that suicide prevention spending has had little impact on the veteran suicide rate. Suicide mortality for veterans was estimated at 23.3 per 100,000 in 2001. By 2020, it rose to 31.7 per 100,000. The 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report found that the veteran suicide rate increased 11.6% between 2020 and 2021.

Full Article – https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2963859/can-the-va-handle-an-influx-of-patients/