Outer Banks Times

The Durham VA Medical Center, subsidiary 558GC in Morehead City, North Carolina, scheduled 3,918 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 3,762 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96%) and 156 appointments (4%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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	61,785	52,039	9,746
558GA	Greenville	26,845	24,539	2,306
558GB	Raleigh	5,480	5,238	242
558GE	Durham	4,844	4,604	240
558GG	Raleigh-Atlantic Avenue	3,954	3,753	201
558GC	Morehead City	3,918	3,762	156
558GF	Raleigh	2,849	2,304	545
558GD	Durham	1,849	1,786	63
558QA	Raleigh	120	113	7

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration