for a primary care appointment or 28 days and 60 minutes for a specialty appointment. In 2018, as a result of the passage of the 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act, VHA was allowed to combat veterans and victims of military sexual trauma who were discharged administratively with an other than honorable discharge (OTH) to access mental health treatment in VA or community care facilities. it also allowed all veterans with a discharge that would typically bar veterans' health care and benefits to petition the Secretary (through the Veterans Benefits Administration) to determine whether or not the character of their discharge is a complete bar to benefits. Even if VBA makes a determination that they are ineligible for monetary and educational benefits, they may still find that such a Veteran is eligible for health care benefits for any service-connected disability. Structure The system is divided into 23 distinct service regions, called Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN), that provide funding and care to the systems 1,293 medical centers and their associated clinics. Funding for each VISN is based on the anticipated number of Veterans enrolled in care within the covered region. When a VISN sees a large influx of number of Veterans, the funding levels for that region will increase proportionally, while other areas may see a decrease (especially if they are losing Veteran population). As of 2021, the Desert Pacific Network (VISN 22) was the largest region by population, with over 1.7 million total veterans (2018 estimate), while the Pacific Northwest Network (VISN 20) is the largest by geography -- , including the highly rural state of Alaska. Doctors who work in the VHA system are typically paid less in core compensation than their counterparts in private practice. However, VHA compensation includes benefits not generally available to doctors in private practice, such as lesser threat of malpractice lawsuits, freedom from billing and insurance company payment administration, and the availability of the government's open-source electronic records system VistA. Currently the VHA is experiencing a physician shortage and as of 2018 10% of jobs in the VHA remain unfilled. This shortage can be especially harmful to Veterans since a quarter of Veterans live in rural areas. These are the kind of areas that are most vulnerable to a shortage since they are already isolated and it can be hard to get access to the healthcare they need. However, since 2018, these shortages have been