Wait times for Fayetteville veterans longest in NC

AP-NC--Veterans-Health Care-North Carolina Wait times for Fayetteville veterans longest in NC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patients seeking care through the Fayetteville VA Medical Center are waiting an average of 83 days for their first appointment with a primary care doctor — nearly six times longer than the department's goal.

A report from the Department of Veterans Affairs says the average wait time for new patients at North Carolina VA hospitals ranged from nearly 29 days in Salisbury to 83 days in Fayetteville — the home of Fort Bragg.

VA guidelines say veterans should be seen within 14 days of their desired date for a primary care appointment. The department now says that meeting that target was unattainable given existing resources and growing demand.

The findings are part of a national audit ordered after a whistleblower claimed veterans were dying while waiting for care in Phoenix.

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