WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs needs $17.6 billion in additional funds over the next three years to meet the current needs of its patients, the troubled agency’s acting director said Wednesday.

Testifying for the first time on Capitol Hill, interim VA secretary Sloan Gibson told the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs the money would help the agency decrease appointment wait times and hire more doctors for patients.

But the request divided the Senate panel. Democrats, like Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, supported the appeal, while Republicans, including Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska, questioned whether care would actually improve if the VA were given more money.

“This sounds so similar to what we’ve heard over the years,” Johanns said, adding the committee has been very generous to the VA and has routinely met requests for additional funding in the past.