VA delays lead to crisis center in St. Louis

The long delays for veterans seeking medical care at VA hospitals have prompted The American Legion to set up a short-term crisis center in St. Louis this week. The veterans' organization opens a "crisis command center" at the Saint Louis University law school downtown starting at noon Tuesday. The organization's System Worth Saving Task Force met with local leaders of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs earlier Tuesday. A recent federal audit found that nearly 1,400 patients who sought appointments through the VA medical center in St. Louis over the past decade were never seen. The agency responded that it was working to reduce wait times. The St. Louis center had the sixth-longest average wait time nationwide — nearly three months —for new patients seeking specialty care.