Of the 100 VA hospitals and clinics nationwide with the most patients waiting more than 30 days for care, 10 are in Georgia.
A small VA clinic near Fort Benning, in Columbus, Georgia, has been among the worst performers. About 13 percent of patient visits completed between Sept. 1 and Feb. 28 involved a wait of more than 30 days, far more than the national average of 2.8 percent. This winter, it has had close to the longest average wait for mental healthcare in the country. At the VA hospital in Dublin, one in 36 appointments completed during those six months involved a wait longer than 60 days.
Of the 23 VA hospitals and clinics in Georgia, only nine did better than the national average, including the two medical centers in Augusta and an outpatient clinic in Savannah. The best-performing clinics, according to the data, were in Hinesville and Valdosta. Both saw less than 1 percent of appointments delayed by more than 30 days.
