Roughly 20 million Americans are military veterans. For comparison's sake, that's near the combined populations of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

If the health care and well-being of everyone who lived in three states were in doubt, that would equate to a national calamity. Why, then, is Washington still struggling with the overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs?

It was Veterans Day last week in America, and there's much we could say about the men and women who've worn our nation's uniform. Regardless of your political bent or stance on war, Americans should at the very least acknowledge the sacrifices military families make and the dangers military personnel face should they serve in today's hotspots. Military service, like law enforcement and emergency medicine, isn't for everyone. It is serious, real-life stuff.

For more than two years, Veterans Affairs has been one of Washington's biggest embarrassments. The wait-time scandal that has rocked that department has ripped open a scab of distrust between the United States and the men and women who depend on the VA once their military careers have ended. America should be - must be - better than that.

The Obama administration's second term has sought quick improvements by sacking directors of failing VA centers and making a large number of personnel moves. That's worth noting. But while there are VA centers that do admirable work, the national narrative remains beset with unacceptable wait times for those in need. Whether it's funding, organization or leadership - or a combination of the three - Washington must fix this profound dilemma.

President-elect Donald Trump made veterans' care a cornerstone of his stump speeches. Soon it will be time for the incoming president and his administration to make good on the promise of improving the lives of America's military veterans. Anything less will be a promise that's broken.