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'Veterans' Lives Matter' movement spurring in Orange Park

A Clay County veteran is considering starting a movement called "Veterans' Lives Matter" in response to wait times for healthcare at Veterans Affairs clinics.

On Monday, the Veterans Affairs Secretary said the VA should not use wait times as a measure of success.

He compared the length of time vets wait at the VA to the hours people wait for rides at Disney.

"When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?" Robert McDonald said. "What's important is, what's your satisfaction with the experience?"

On Tuesday, veterans rallied at a VA claims center in Clay County.

"One day you're a hero and you get discharged and you become a zero," said Sarge Huffman.

Huffman, a 9-year Army staff sergeant, is heading up the proposed movement.

They don't have a hashtag yet but they have a mission.

According to department data as of May 1, patients wait an average of seven days for primary care, 10 days for specialty care and four days for mental health care.

Huffman says that's a problem.

"We're talking about veterans that have served this country and fought for this country," said Sarge Huffman.

How wait time is defined is another point of contention.

The Government Accountability Office released a report in April that explored a metric called the "preferred date."

The measure does not measure the time between when a veteran first calls to make an appointment, which is called a "create date."

"They are buttering the books to make them look good," says Huffman.

The VA said in a statement that it takes the duty of serving veterans seriously.