Average wait times for veterans across mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021, by rurality in the health care system
Characteristic
Average waiting time in days*
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Note: Veterans can access a variety of healthcare services at the VHA medical center, which consists of numerous healthcare institutions, including community-based outpatient clinics, in a certain geographic area. GAO's assessments used the following definition of rurality in the healthcare system. More than 50% of veterans who were enrolled in the program resided in rural, extremely rural, or insular island areas. Some rural enrollees: 10,000 or more of these enrollees lived in a rural location, while only 50% or less of registered veterans lived in a rural, very rural, or insular island area. Few rural registrants: Fewer than 10,000 participants lived in a rural location, and 50% or fewer of registered veterans were from rural, very rural, or insular island areas.
*The average wait time for each healthcare system is tracked by VHA. The GAO added up the average wait times across all healthcare systems and divided them by the total number of healthcare systems in each grouping—healthcare systems with predominantly, some, and few rural veterans—to arrive at the average wait time across all healthcare systems.
Citation formats
Wait times for veterans seeking mental health treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021
In 2021, the average wait time for U.S. veterans seeking any kind of mental health residential rehabilitation treatment program at health care centers with a majority of rural veterans was approximately ** days, compared to around ** days for health care systems with fewer rural veterans.
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GAO. (February 9, 2023). Average wait times for veterans across mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021, by rurality in the health care system [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved August 05, 2026, from /statistics/1378451/waiting-time-for-veterans-seeking-mental-health-treatment-in-the-us/
GAO. "Average wait times for veterans across mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021, by rurality in the health care system." Chart. February 9, 2023. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed August 05, 2026. /statistics/1378451/waiting-time-for-veterans-seeking-mental-health-treatment-in-the-us/
GAO. (2023). Average wait times for veterans across mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021, by rurality in the health care system. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: August 05, 2026. /statistics/1378451/waiting-time-for-veterans-seeking-mental-health-treatment-in-the-us/
GAO. "Average Wait times for Veterans across Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs in The U.S. in 2021, by Rurality in The Health Care System." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 9 Feb 2023, /statistics/1378451/waiting-time-for-veterans-seeking-mental-health-treatment-in-the-us/
GAO, Average wait times for veterans across mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021, by rurality in the health care system ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1378451/waiting-time-for-veterans-seeking-mental-health-treatment-in-the-us/ (last visited August 05, 2026)
Average wait times for veterans across mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021, by rurality in the health care system [Graph], GAO, February 9, 2023. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1378451/waiting-time-for-veterans-seeking-mental-health-treatment-in-the-us/
