Important progress has been made in caring for those who have served our country, President Barack Obama told attendees at the Disabled American Veterans national conference recently.

Obama cited two “milestones.”

First, homelessness among veterans is down.

Second, about 500,000 veterans have provided blood samples and other data for a long-term research project intended to improve health care for those who served.

Both achievements are good. But is there anything missing from this picture?

Absolutely.

Improving access to health care remains a problem for many veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs still has not provided evidence it has addressed the infamous “wait list” problem effectively.

And the enormous backlog of claims for veterans’ disability benefits is still outrageous. It takes an average of three years for a veteran applying for assistance to receive a decision on it. Even the White House agrees that is unacceptable.

For the vast majority of veterans, the two big unsolved problems are much more worrisome than homelessness or a health care study.

Clearly, despite nearly eight years in office, Obama has not considered the challenge of widespread reforms at the VA to be a priority.

It needs to be that for the next administration. America’s veterans sacrificed much to defend our nation and our very way of life. We owe them more than an admission the bureaucracy is more powerful than any reform movement.