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VA secretary vows more changes, including higher pay for doctors, nurses
http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/va-secretary-vows-more-changes-including-higher-pay-for-doctors-nurses-1.303227VA secretary vows more changes, including higher pay for doctors, nurses
By Jennifer Hlad
Stars and Stripes
Published: September 15, 2014
SAN DIEGO — As part of the effort to eliminate the VA appointment backlog by the end of next year, Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald said Monday that he plans to increase the range of pay for VA doctors and nurses, among other changes.
Here to address the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs Convention, McDonald said Monday that more clinic and hospital space, more employees and better pay for providers are the keys to solving the wait-time problems that have plagued the VA for years; he’s recently started going to medical schools to recruit doctors and nurses himself.
As of Sept. 5, the Veterans Health Administration also has reached out to more than 240,000 veterans to get them appointments, and reduced the electronic waiting lists by 57 percent, he said.
“We have a lot of work to do,” McDonald said, “I think we’re well on our way, though, to ending the backlog by 2015.”
(snip)