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Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

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The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Arizona Veterans Hope New Legislation Improves VA Health Care System

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Tuesday, June 17, 2014   

PHOENIX - Veterans in Arizona are hoping recently passed legislation in the U.S. Senate will improve the V.A. by reducing medical visit wait times and improve the overall quality of care.

Jacye Elliston, a Phoenix-area Gulf War veteran, says he has experienced months-long wait times during his two decades of treatment at V.A. hospitals in Arizona. He's hopeful recent passage of the Veteran Access to Care Act will help change what is being called systemic problems within the agency.

"With the amount of attention that veterans get, and the amount of attention that veterans get from the Senate and the House and the president, it's unbelievable to me that there's still this problem," says Elliston.

The legislation follows a report from the V.A. Office of Inspector General linking abnormalities in reporting patient wait times to employee bonuses. A sample group of 226 veterans waited an average of 115 days for their first primary-care appointments at Phoenix-area clinics. The report says V.A. officials in Phoenix reported an average waiting period of only 24 days for those veterans.

Despite the new legislation and ongoing national media coverage of the issue, Elliston says his recent attempt to get care at the V.A. in Phoenix seemed like more of the same.

"I called the V.A. hospital last week and was told that I would have to be put on the wait list," says Elliston. "That was the term she used, the wait list, to be assigned a primary-care physician. I asked how long that wait list was, and she said 'three to four months.'"

Elliston says his treatment has been faster at other V.A. clinics in the Phoenix area versus the main V.A. hospital, which he says seems to be mired in bureaucracy.


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