The Veterans Affairs Department wants to send veterans with service-connected medical problems to the front of the line when it comes to receiving medical treatment at VA facilities. VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi issued a new directive to all VA medical facilities requiring that "priority access" be given to qualifying veterans seeking appointments for treatment. The directive covers hospitalization and outpatient care, and does not apply to veterans seeking care for medical problems not related to a service-connected disability. Priority access, Principi explained, means that when qualifying veterans come to a VA treatment facility for inpatient or outpatient care, they...