Little Apple Times

The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, subsidiary 589GR in Junction City, Kansas, scheduled 3,049 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,907 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.3%) and 142 appointments (4.7%) 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	21,830	20,602	1,228
589A6	Leavenworth	18,313	16,974	1,339
589GR	Junction City	3,049	2,907	142
589GI	St. Joseph	2,760	2,735	25
589GJ	Kansas City	1,184	1,169	15
589JE	Platte City	1,024	996	28
589GU	Lawrence	683	674	9
589GV	Fort Scott	554	547	7
589GM	Chanute	297	294	3
589GP	Garnett	152	151	1
589BU	Leavenworth	17	17	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration