Vets Say Budget Cuts to VA Will Impact Services in Atlanta

Cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system will delay care for military veterans in the Atlanta area, vets and healthcare providers tell WABE 90.1:

Veterans advocates say additional cuts to the Atlanta VA would worsen delays many veterans already experience in accessing health care and other services.

“A lot of veterans have to wait three months before they can even see a specialist or even get their first appointment when they get enrolled in benefits,” said Erika Alexander, ​​a licensed social worker with the Atlanta VA Veterans Crisis Hotline team and President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 518 at the Atlanta VA.

“There will be delays with their income verification, with them getting pharmacy services, resources for shelters in their community, for housing vouchers, transportation. Those are the types of departments that are going to be impacted by the reduction in force,” she added.