A new Government Accountability Office report found military members are waiting two to three weeks to get off-base mental health treatment.
"We are seeing significant delays with referrals that are made to off-base care," said Alyssa Hundrup, a director with GAO.
Hundrup told News 3 that the Dept. of Defense tries to treat service members on base, where treatment has to happen within 24 hours.
Due to staffing shortages or treatment needs, members may be referred to providers off-base.
The report says the vacancy rate for on-base providers has been over 40-percent.
There are no standards saying when off-base appointments need to happen.
"I think we're seeing a couple different things: the increasing need for service, and that is coupled with shortages. And those shortages are nationwide, not unique to the military," said Hundrup.
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Navy continues to take steps to address Sailor mental health
The report makes two recommendations. The first is that the military should establish a time frame for when service members should be getting an appointment off-base.
The other says the Dept. of Defense should then track the time frame and take corrective actions when it's not met.
"Time is absolutely of the essence in many of these situations. The longer a member can wait, the more the conditions may be exacerbated in some cases, which is why these numbers are so disconcerting," said Hundrup.
The Dept. of Defense said they agree with the recommendations.
The Navy has taken steps to address mental health and quality of life.
News 3 recently reported on how the Navy is offering free Wi-Fi at 12 barracks at Naval Station Norfolk.
“We’re trying to evolve this stuff as quickly as possible for sailor quality of life and service," said Navy Installations Command Force Master Chief Jason Dunn.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also recently addressed mental health during a stop on base.
"Mental health is health, but it's also, how do we as leaders make sure we have the skill set to actually sit down and talk with our young service members?" said Air Force Gen. CQ Brown.
Teri and Patrick Caserta have been following this issue ever since their son Brandon took his own life in 2018.
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They've been pushing the Dept. of Defense to act more boldly. The family wants them to spread more awareness about the Brandon Act, the law named after their son.
"[Suicides] are truly preventable. The goal is zero and anything above zero is unacceptable," Patrick Caserta told News 3 last month.
