Berkeley Leader

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, subsidiary 534GD in Goose Creek, South Carolina, scheduled 7,946 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 7,793 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.1%) and 153 appointments (1.9%) 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
534	Charleston	39,410	37,187	2,223
534BY	Savannah	15,284	15,013	271
534GD	Goose Creek	7,946	7,793	153
534GE	Hinesville	6,640	6,596	44
534QA	Myrtle Beach	4,684	4,538	146
534GC	Beaufort	3,982	3,978	4
534GB	Myrtle Beach	3,387	3,282	105
534GF	North Charleston	2,062	2,048	14
534QB	North Charleston	1,284	1,284	0
534QC	Charleston	83	83	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration