VA facilities in ENC among worst, study says

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina is home to Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, and nine of the 50 Veterans Affairs medical facilities where patients are most likely to encounter a long wait for care, according to the Associated Press.

The AP analyzed six months of appointment data at 940 VA hospitals and clinics nationwide to identify the ones struggling the most to deliver prompt care. Eastern North Carolina was among the places where waits are worst.

The study shows at the VA clinic in Jacksonville, 16 percent of the appointments completed between Sept. 1 and Feb. 28 failed to meet the VA’s timeliness standard, which calls for patients to be seen within 30 days. That clinic was in the top five in percentage delays. The Wilmington clinic failed eight percent of the time, ranking in the 30s overall.

Vietnam veteran Mark McAllister says he’s been to clinics across the country for service-related injuries.

“In Baltimore and Ann Harbor, I’ve never had an issue with anything,” McAllister said.

But, when he moved to North Carolina, he says the issues began.

“Here in Fayetteville, I do not get seen at all for my disability,” McAllister said. “The Wilmington clinic since they moved to the new clinic, they’re trying. They’re trying really hard.”

Fayetteville Public Affairs Officer Jeffrey Melvin says demand is the issue.

“Each day more and more are enrolling for care at our sites,” Melvin said. “It’s a double whammy. We had a considerable back log, but our numbers are continuing to grow.”

Through the frustration, McAllister says he still has hope for the Wilmington clinic.

“I think through time and through more experience, they’ll be able to handle the increase in veterans coming down,” McAllister said.