U.S. veterans agency needs $17.6 billion to clear wait times: acting head

By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs needs $17.6 billion in additional funding over the next three years to eliminate long waiting times for veterans’ healthcare appointments, the embattled agency’s acting chief said on Wednesday. Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson told senators that without additional resources to buy private care and increase internal capacity, “the wait times just get longer” as more veterans return from wars, get older and turn to VA for healthcare.