Veteran shares his Durham VA wait time horror story
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- The scandal involving VA wait times, which the I-Team has been investigating for weeks, is now a criminal investigation.
The FBI made the announcement Wednesday on the eve of a visit to North Carolina by the VA's interim director.
The Phoenix hospital is where the national outrage surfaced. However, the wait times in Fayetteville and Durham were just as bad or worse in all three categories: new patient, new patient specialist, and new patients looking for mental health care.
The 104-day wait for mental health care at the Durham VA hospital is the worst in the country.
The I-Team spoke to one veteran who has been on the wait list for two years and counting. Former Marine Isaiah Perry's story drives home the point that the average wait times aren't just numbers. They are the real life experiences of a lot of veterans around the state.
"I have gout very badly, and I have a bad knee," said Perry.
In fact, Perry says he may need knee replacement, but he won't know until he sees a doctor. He says he's been waiting for that to happen for a long time.
"Primary care, I've been about 2 years [without seeing a primary care provider]," said Perry.
Perry who works at a Dickey's Barbeque in Raleigh says he's gone to the emergency room four times in those two years, and has tried to schedule appointments for primary care. However, he says time and again, he's fallen through the cracks, and he's not alone.
"I'm not the only one," said Perry.
Perry tells us he's ready with stories from other veterans who have had similar experiences.
The most recent audit of VA hospitals puts the average wait time for new patients at the Durham VA at more than two months.
That's actually worse than Phoenix where problems at the VA first surfaced. It's not as bad as Fayetteville where the average wait for new patients was 83 days.
The director at the Durham VA maintains wait times at the Durham VA have gotten much better in the past two years -- saying last month that they had cut that 64 day average in half, and asking for veterans to trust in the care here.
That may be a tall order for Perry and others who say they've tried to get in, but have found closed doors at every turn.
"Well, the saying is actions speak louder than words," said Perry. "You know, where's the action? They can say it, but if they mean it, show it by action."
Perry said he hadn't heard of the state's new hotline for veterans to bring their complaints about VA hospitals in North Carolina.
The Vet Tip Hotline (1-844-NC4-Vets or VetTips@doa.nc.gov) went online about 10 days ago. So far, they've gotten over 400 calls and emails.
