the key rate amongst the veterans, they can't get mental healthcare, two years people wait for an audiology appointment when they need a hearing aid that things happened in the middle east. it is a moral imperative that we work this out. >> that's for coming in. we want to thank you for joining us. asking the senate candidates to come in and talk to us about the issues. >> we had vis van holland yes and next week we have two more. make sure you down load the wusa9 app. you will find maryland voter guide. i call it a scorecard with early voting locations happening right now through april 21st. primary day the 25th. >>> inspiring students to believe in themselves. that's what we are going to show you how the state crime screen is part of a mission to poorest neighborhoods. >>> two braves in the nation's capital. howard bernstein has his eyes on april showers and how soon at giant, shoppers low prices by the thousands, plus a thousand more that just dropped. all these low prices! what are you trying to do, get me to feed the whole neighborhood? no. just trying to sa

we have allowed direct scheduling in audiology. we have group practice managers now. we are sharing best practices and access across the entire system. as you know we are working much closer than ever with our community partners to provide care. 57 million appointments last year as the ranking member said. 1.6 million more visits last year than the year before. 96% scheduled within 30 days. we are processing claims faster than ever before. 25% increase in claims processed last month. we are looking forward to the comments by the g.a.o. anti-i.g. i have to tell you, we are not afraid of criticism -- and the i.g. i have to tell you, we are not afraid of criticism. we want t the v.a. is making sweeping changes the we are making progress. but there is significant work that lies ahead. that's what i'm here to do. recall as the ranking member said the v.a. provides excellent care every day. in fact, this year alone four peer reviewed studies show our care is equal or superior to what's happening in the private sector. we appreciate the support of all you on this committee a

if you want, if you want to be, you know, an engineer, if you want to go into audiology, you've got to do this. if you want to become a, an informed citizen and a discerning consumer with good taste, you've got to do these things. you've got to absorb these things. that argument doesn't go very far. >> i'd like to say one more thing on the side of hope, if i may. somebody has to do it. [laughter] let us assume that college cannot solve every problem that has accumulated until then. okay. that doesn't mean that it can solve nothing, and it doesn't mean that changes in what colleges do won't help. you know, a nontrivial number of people where that means, what, thousands of people, maybe millions over the course of years, and it's not all the immediate. i'm going to give you my happy-dramatic anecdote. one of the first classes i ever taught i had an older student. what's his story? well, i was a cop, and i got shot in the chest. and as i was recovering in the hospital, i thought i wanted to do something else with my life. and so he wanted to come back to college and be a high school teach

piloting program where veterans can now directly schedule without going to a primary care doctor, in audiology and optometry. it worked terrifically. we're expanding that now across the system. i think it was done in florida. i want to look as you're saying, other specialties. podiatry. social work. nutrition. all sorts of things that frankly veterans can make the decisions themselves. they don't need primary care doctors time to do it. >> very good. >> another question has to do with walk in clinics. how many walk in clinics are out there. you mentioneded about access, same day access. is that widespread? we have a walk in clinic in our outpatient center and i think it works very well. >> where i practice in new york city, that's where i practice in the walk in clinics. we're there if anybody needs to be seen, we see them that day. what many, why don't they? >> because many, 34, have same day access in their primary care centers. if you can see your patients through your primary care center, you don't need walk ins. the other ones do need some type of urgent care visits. we do know that in ar

piloting program where veterans can now directly schedule without going to a primary care doctor, in audiology and optometry. it worked terrifically. we're expanding that now across the system. i think it was done in florida. i want to look as you're saying, other specialties. podiatry. social work. nutrition. all sorts of things that frankly veterans can make the decisions themselves. they don't need primary care doctors time to do it. >> very good. >> another question has to do with walk in clinics. how many walk in clinics are out there. you mentioneded about access, same day access. is that widespread? we have a walk in clinic in our outpatient center and i think it works very well. >> where i practice in new york city, that's where i practice in the walk in clinics. we're there if anybody needs to be seen, we see them that day. what many, why don't they? >> because many, 34, have same day access in their primary care centers. if you can see your patients through your primary care center, you don't need walk ins. the other ones do need some type of urgent care visits. we do know that in ar