There are a number of factors and issues external to the organization that could significantly affect the Department’s ability to achieve our highest priority goals and objectives. Among these factors are passage of legislation, change in resource levels, cooperation and non-cooperation from other Federal agencies or private organizations, or unpredictable outcomes such as the long-term health effects of military service in the Gulf War.

• VA's strategy for increasing access to benefits and services for veterans and their families continues to be a major focus. The goals are to improve access to care by decreasing waiting times for primary care appointments to 30 days, waiting times for specialty appointments to 30 days, and waiting times to see a provider to 20 minutes. Strategies being considered to decrease waiting times include: provide improved, more convenient access for patients through the opening of more CBOCs; and improve the timeliness of access to specialty services through the procurement of short-term contracts with specialists to provide services to veterans that face significant periods of waiting time.

• Although monthly payments were increased by 20 percent in 1998 and indexed to inflation, the Montgomery GI Bill benefit covers less of the cost of tuition, fees, subsistence, and other expenses than in the past. Therefore, MGIB benefits must be leveraged with other federal, state, local, and private assistance. For example, DoD supplements these benefits with additional benefits (or "kickers") for recruits who enter certain hard-to-fill specialties. In addition, today’s veteran has different demographic charateristics (e.g., marital status) and education and training needs than veterans of the past.

• The lack of consistent Federal acquisition regulatory, policy, and procedural requirements for contracted services, supplies, and equipment for veterans participating in the vocational rehabilitation program may at times impede veterans from getting timely services, supplies, or equipment which could affect completion of training and ultimately employment.

• Economic factors significantly affect VA’s capacity to improve veterans’ ability to purchase homes. Typically, loan, default, and foreclosure rates are related to the general state of the economy and particularly sensitive to regional downturns.

• Maintaining the grounds, graves, and grave markers of national cemeteries as national shrines is influenced by many different factors. As time goes by, cemeteries experience a variety of environmental changes that may require extensive maintenance. Extremes in weather, such as excessive rain or drought, can result in or exacerbate sunken graves, sunken markers, soiled markers, inferior turf cover, and weathering of columbaria. For example, the 230-pound upright headstones and the 130-pound flat markers tend to settle over time and must be raised and realigned periodically. The frequency of this need varies depending on soil conditions and climate.