Greenville Reporter

The Durham VA Medical Center, subsidiary 558GA in Greenville, North Carolina, scheduled 25,701 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 22,408 had a wait time of 30 days or less (87.2%) and 3,293 appointments (12.8%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar to or better than wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA's data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to one of eight priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities and earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
558	Durham	51,280	44,036	7,244
558GA	Greenville	25,701	22,408	3,293
558GE	Durham	5,044	4,840	204
558GC	Morehead City	4,384	4,133	251
558GB	Raleigh	4,252	4,141	111
558GF	Raleigh	2,803	2,400	403
558GG	Raleigh-Atlantic Avenue	2,661	2,604	57
558GD	Durham	1,746	1,699	47
558QA	Raleigh	211	107	104

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration