Hilton Head Reporter

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, subsidiary 534GC in Beaufort, South Carolina scheduled 4,816 pending appointments in March compared to 5,068 during the same period last year, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments this March, 4,791 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.5%) and 25 appointments (0.5%) 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 or better to wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 cautioning 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.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to 1 of 8 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.

Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center - 534GC Appointments Scheduled in March 2020 vs. March 2019

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled in March 2020	Total Appointments Scheduled in March 2019	Percent change in number of appointments
534	Charleston	50,231	58,004	-13.4%
534BY	Savannah	19,615	17,874	9.7%
534GB	Myrtle Beach	4,288	4,440	-3.4%
534GC	Beaufort	4,816	5,068	-5%
534GD	Goose Creek	10,885	12,008	-9.4%
534GE	Hinesville	7,930	8,465	-6.3%
534GF	North Charleston	1,683	1,368	23%
534QA	Myrtle Beach	6,717	6,931	-3.1%
534QB	North Charleston	1,148	1,223	-6.1%
534QC	Charleston	93	79	17.7%

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration