A read of the article indicates that, for the most part, the veterans are receiving care for their medical conditions. The delays the article mentions relate to delays in processing "claims for benefits." I used to work in this branch of the VA...these are claims to have a particular condition declared "service-connected" and involve both financial benefits and lifetime medical care. These claims have taken about six months to get through the process for many years, not because they are particularly complicated or because many get disapproved and then appealed, but because that's just how long it takes the line to get to the door. The blame for these delays is principally related to staff shortages and these, in turn, are because when it is the VA's turn to have its budget cut, the money comes out of this branch (the Veterans Benefits Administration) rather than out of the medical care arm (the Veterans Healthcare Administration).