VA clinic delays causing problems for local veteran

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — VA clinics are facing severe scrutiny across the country. Now, one local veteran is speaking out saying the Port City is not immune to these problems.

“It’s ridiculous. We should not have to be waiting that amount of time just to receive the care that we desperately need,” veteran Robert Pressley said.

150 to 180 days, thats how long Pressley says he was told he would have to wait to see a primary care physician.

Pressley just moved to Wilmington, but he says if he would have known he’d be facing these kinds of issues he wouldn’t have come.

“I was promised my care would be available almost immediately,” Pressley said.

Pressley’s mother Jean Marie English says she doesn’t know if it’s because she began using Wilmington’s VA clinic when it first opened or if she’s just lucky. She’s not facing the same issues her son is seeing, but she says she knows he’s not alone.

“You can sit in the waiting room in Wilmington and you can hear people what the people are saying as they’re leaving,” English said. “They’re not getting the care that they’re needing.”

“When you start disbelieving in the system, you start to get very frustrated,” Pressley said. “If you can’t support the load of veterans that are coming in, then the government needs to place people in different care.”

We contacted a representative from the Fayetteville VA Hospital. They released a statement saying:

“We try to provide the best care possible, if they do have complaints we take those seriously and we have procedures to take care of them.”

The Fayetteville VA will hold a pair of town hall meetings next week with area veterans. The meetings are scheduled for Sept. 19 at 3 and 6 p.m. in the hospital’s auditorium. Veterans, family members and the public can ask questions and voice concerns about care at VA facilities.