Average Maryland VA Wait is 81 Days
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.
An internal audit released this week by the Department of Veteran Affairs determined that 57,000 veterans have been waiting more than 90 days for a doctor’s appointment and that an additional 64,000 requested medical care but never made it onto VA waiting lists, reports the Washington Post. The average wait time for new patients seeking a primary care doctor at the VA Maryland Health Care System is 81 days, the fourth-longest for examined facilities. That wait is more than five times the 14 days the VA set as a guideline for someone to see a doctor. Acting VA secretary Sloan Gibson outlined a series of emergency measures and said he would spend $300 million to ensure that veterans faced with long waiting lists will receive care as quickly as possible in the coming days and weeks.
Congress is debating whether the Blue Angels and other military demonstration teams attract enough recruits to justify multimillion-dollar costs in this time of sequestration-driven austerity, reports TribLIVE. The Navy says it spends about $40 million annually on the Blue Angels program and defends the team as a time-honored institution that also serves as an effective recruiting tool. However, some experts say there’s no way to track whether air shows lead to enlistments.
USNI News believes that the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye may be the Navy’s secret weapon against the emerging threat of enemy fifth-generation stealth fighters and cruise missiles. The aircraft’s powerful UHF-band hybrid mechanical/electronically-scanned radar built by Lockheed Martin serves as an effective countermeasure to stealth technology.
Ms. Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin’s Chairman, President and CEO, delivered remarks on the state of the business, highlighting recent milestones and detailing how the defense contractor is positioned for long-term growth at the company’s fifth annual Media Day held this week, reports The Wall Street Journal. Ms. Hewson discussed the company’s legacy of applying scientific knowledge and technical expertise to address the world’s most complex challenges and said that Lockheed is continuing that tradition by offering next generation technology today.
RADM Mark Darrah will be appointed later this year as the new program executive officer for Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation at the Naval Air Systems Command, reports USNI News. ADM Darrah is currently serving as the commander of Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division and also serves concurrently as the assistant commander for Research and Engineering at NAVAIR. Outgoing RADM Mathias Winter will be assigned as chief of Naval Research and will also be assigned as the director of innovation, technology requirements, and test and evaluation in Arlington, Va.
An F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter successfully flew in formation with two UK Royal Air Force Typhoons over Edwards Air Force Base, CA, reports Airforce-Technology.com. The flight represents the first time that the two multi-role combat aircraft have flown together, and was carried out as part of the F-35’s interoperability testing. The two aircraft successfully performed their first airborne link during the test flight.
US Navy sailors and a social media team made their presence known at the Summer X-Games last week at the Circuit of the Americas, according to America’s Navy. The Navy targeted young athletes and attendees with location-based social media efforts. Thousands visited America’s Navy’s area and participated in an array of activities including operating a special operations craft, donning an EOD suit and accepting the Warrior Challenge.
