TABLE 2.
Self-Reported Difficulties in Accessing Mental Health and General Medical Care: Continuous Improvement for Veterans in Care–Mood Disorders Study, 2004–2006
| Perceived Access Problem | No. (%) |
| Distance and travel barriers | |
| Relies on public or VA transportation | 129 (29.6) |
| Lives more than 50 mi (80 km) from VA clinic | 71 (16.3) |
| Needs to travel more than 1 h for VA appointment | 152 (34.9) |
| Mental health | |
| Once you get to this clinic, how long do you usually have to wait to see a provider? (Responding “yes” to > 30 min) | 78 (18.7) |
| On average, how long is it between your clinic visits at the VA? (Responding “yes” to > 4 wk) | 232 (57.0) |
| If I need care, I cannot get admitted to the hospital without trouble. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 35 (8.1) |
| It is hard for me to get care in an emergency. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 38 (8.8) |
| Sometimes I go without the care I need because it is too expensive. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 48 (11.1) |
| I don't have easy access to the treatment specialists I need. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 98 (22.6) |
| Places where I can get care are not easy to get to. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 66 (15.2) |
| I am not able to get care whenever I need it. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 56 (12.9) |
| During the last 6 mo, did you ever need care but could not get it? (Agree/Strongly agree) | 75 (17.4) |
| General medical | |
| Once you get to this clinic, how long do you usually have to wait to see a provider? (Responding “yes” to > 30 min) | 94 (23.0) |
| On average, how long is it between your clinic visits at the VA? (Responding “yes” to > 4 wk) | 270 (69.1) |
| If I need care, I cannot get admitted to the hospital without trouble. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 45 (10.4) |
| It is hard for me to get care in an emergency. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 77 (17.8) |
| Sometimes I go without the care I need because it is too expensive. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 70 (16.2) |
| I don't have easy access to the treatment specialists I need. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 91 (21.0) |
| Places where I can get care are not easy to get to. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 70 (16.2) |
| I am not able to get care whenever I need it. (Agree/Strongly agree) | 79 (18.3) |
| During the last 6 mo, did you ever need care but could not get it? (Agree/Strongly agree) | 91 (21.0) |
Note. VA = Department of Veterans Affairs. Denominators are less than 435 because of missing or nonapplicable data (between 1 and 7 cases per access item).