VA facilities 13 years in the waiting

Veterans Affairs hospital construction projects lag way behind schedule across the country, signaling a much larger problem within the department, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Three out of the four VA hospitals under construction in Orlando, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Denver are more than a year behind schedule. Only five out of the 55 VA medical clinics approved by Congress since 1998 are completed, with more than a third of them delayed by at least three years. In addition to the delays, which have lasted as long as 13 years--as is the case with one Jacksonville clinic--some run millions over the Congress-approved budget.

"No question about it," Bob Neary, VA director of construction and facilities management, said. "We experienced delays in many of these initiatives. We're taking steps to mitigate them." Article