Senator Blumenthal wants more info about Connecticut VA

HARTFORD -- U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says he wants the Veterans Administration to explain why wait times increased at VA facilities in Connecticut and elsewhere.

The Democrat said Monday he's concerned that numbers show the average number of scheduled appointments beyond 30 days jumped from 998 to 2,727 between May 15 and June 15.

Last month, Sloan Gibson, the acting VA secretary, said the increase across the country was probably an indication that more reliable data were reported in June by VA schedulers rather than an actual increase in veteran wait times.

Average wait time numbers in Connecticut on June 1 showed 2,653 waiting at least 30 days for an appointment.

There are two VA medical centers and six outpatient clinics in Connecticut.