Little Apple Times

The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, subsidiary 589GR in Junction City, Kansas, scheduled 2,463 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, 2,194 had a wait time of 30 days or less (89.1%) and 269 appointments (10.9%) 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
589A5	Topeka	21,634	18,943	2,691
589A6	Leavenworth	18,415	16,341	2,074
589GI	St. Joseph	2,530	2,454	76
589GR	Junction City	2,463	2,194	269
589GJ	Kansas City	1,073	1,028	45
589JE	Platte City	929	819	110
589GU	Lawrence	642	619	23
589GV	Fort Scott	521	517	4
589GM	Chanute	278	275	3
589GP	Garnett	146	141	5
589MA	Ft. Riley DES Clinic	4	4	0
589BU	Leavenworth	3	3	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration