Wait times at Alabama VA facilities among worst

The Veterans Affairs Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama, was built in 1923 to create a haven for black servicemen excluded from "whites only" medical facilities. From last September to February, that facility and its sister medical center in nearby Montgomery, struggled more than any other VA hospitals in the state to meet the department's goals for timely access to care. About 9 percent of patient visits at the two hospitals involved a wait of longer than 30 days — sharply higher than the national average of 2.8 percent.

Waits in Birmingham and the northern half of the state were generally shorter than they were in the southern half. Nearly 7 percent of appointments were delayed more than 30 days at the VA clinic in Fort Rucker. In Tuscaloosa, the percentage stood at 1 percent.

Clinics in Jasper, Oxford, Sheffield, Bessemer, Gadsden, Childersburg, Monroeville and Guntersville saw less than 1 percent of appointments so delayed.

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