U.S. veterans deal to provide $17 billion to ease medical wait times<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/veterans-funding-deal-17-billion-ease-medical-wait-181019242--business.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/3533Y7Ytlx5sblkoOY2lUQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-07-28T203628Z_1_LYNXMPEA6R0P0_RTROPTP_2_USA-VETERANS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Sanders and Miller announce bipartisan legislation to address problems in the VA health care system, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington" align="left" title="Sanders and Miller announce bipartisan legislation to address problems in the VA health care system, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington" border="0" /></a>By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of the Veterans Affairs committees in the U.S. Congress said on Monday they had struck a rare compromise deal on legislation that provides about $17 billion in funding to ease long waiting times for VA medical centers. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, and Representative Jeff Miller, a Republican, said the figure marks about the halfway point between the competing proposals they announced last week. The compromise measure aims to clear months-long waiting lists at VA hospitals and clinics across the country. The agency has been rocked by scandal over cover-ups of these waiting times, prompting the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in late May. In Phoenix, doctors have alleged that some 40 veterans died as their names languished on secret waiting lists while officials misrepresented wait-time data to meet targets for bonus compensation.</p><br clear="all"/>
Source: U.S. veterans deal to provide $17 billion to ease medical wait times (http://news.yahoo.com/veterans-funding-deal-17-billion-ease-medical-wait-181019242--business.html)