SC Midland News

The Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, subsidiary 544GF in Sumter, South Carolina, scheduled 2,650 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,598 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98%) and 52 appointments (2%) 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
544	Columbia	58,770	52,175	6,595
544BZ	Greenville	14,586	13,195	1,391
544GC	Rock Hill	9,020	8,846	174
544GB	Florence	5,789	5,726	63
544GG	Spartanburg	5,492	4,906	586
544GD	Anderson	4,236	3,974	262
544GE	Orangeburg	2,972	2,961	11
544GF	Sumter	2,650	2,598	52
544HK	Columbia	447	360	87

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration