Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has called on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to address increasing wait times for Connecticut veterans seeking mental health care at VA clinics. In a letter sent to Secretary Collins, Blumenthal highlighted recent data showing significant delays for new patient appointments at several VA facilities across the state.
“Veterans seeking care for mental health conditions—many of whom have urgent and acute needs—deserve timely access to treatment with the highly qualified providers at VA who have unique knowledge and experience working with veterans and coordinating the wide variety of related services available exclusively through VA. The reports of significant delays are deeply troubling and raise urgent questions about the Department’s management of mental health access,” wrote Blumenthal.
Blumenthal also noted: “My staff has heard reports from veterans and their families who have been forced to wait weeks or even months for an initial mental health appointment. Such delays are not only inconsistent with VA’s stated access-to-care standards but also pose serious risks to the health and safety of those who served our nation.”
Data collected by Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee Minority staff, based on information directly from the VA’s Access to Care website, shows that average wait times for new patient mental health appointments at some Connecticut clinics have risen sharply in 2025. For example, since May 2025, the Orange VA Clinic has averaged over 100 days wait time; Willimantic VA Clinic recorded waits over 100 days in September and October; and McGuirk, Winsted, Stamford, Waterbury, and Danbury clinics reported average waits above 50 days.
The most recent figures show that as of now, new patients seeking mental health care at the Orange VA Clinic face an average wait time of 179 days—almost six months.
“These examples in Connecticut are not isolated and are likely indicative of a broader systemic issue that must be addressed immediately. We can see this from the drastic increase in wait times for a new patient mental health appointment since the beginning of the year. Extreme examples include the Orange VA Clinic, which had a wait time of 43 days on January 29, the Willimantic VA Clinic, which had a wait time of 41 days on February 18, the Winsted VA Clinic, which had a wait time of 19 days on March 23, and the Stamford VA Clinic, which had a wait time of 10 days on April 14. These are the earliest recorded wait times the VA website produced for each of these clinics, all under 50 days and well below 100 days,” Blumenthal said.
In his letter to Secretary Collins, Blumenthal requested several actions within thirty days: an explanation for increased wait times including possible staffing or resource issues; details on plans to restore timely access; national data on current average wait times; and updates on expanding telehealth services.
“The Department’s mission is to provide care and support worthy of the sacrifice of America’s veterans. Persistent barriers to mental health care are unacceptable and demand swift corrective action. Congress will continue to exercise oversight to ensure that VA fulfills this critical responsibility,” he wrote.
Blumenthal said he expects a prompt response from Secretary Collins regarding these concerns.
