Berkeley Leader

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, subsidiary 534GD in Goose Creek, South Carolina scheduled 9,910 pending appointments during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 9,766 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.6%) and 144 appointments (1.5%) 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 who 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
534	Charleston	47,955	46,026	1,929
534BY	Savannah	18,164	17,883	281
534GD	Goose Creek	9,910	9,766	144
534GE	Hinesville	6,916	6,867	49
534QA	Myrtle Beach	5,907	5,810	97
534GC	Beaufort	4,525	4,520	5
534GB	Myrtle Beach	3,579	3,542	37
534GF	North Charleston	1,763	1,758	5
534QB	North Charleston	1,160	1,160	0
534QC	Charleston	112	109	3

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration