Lowe Delta News

The VA Central Arkansas Health Care System, subsidiary 598GE in Pine Bluff, Arkansas scheduled 3,490 pending appointments during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 3,465 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.3%) and 25 appointments (0.7%) 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 who 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
598A0	North Little Rock	48,274	45,673	2,601
598	Little Rock	45,590	42,593	2,997
598GC	Hot Springs	7,761	7,560	201
598GG	Conway	6,949	6,684	265
598GA	Mountain Home	4,589	4,482	107
598GF	Searcy	3,849	3,826	23
598GE	Pine Bluff	3,490	3,465	25
598GB	El Dorado	2,567	2,521	46
598GH	Russellville	2,566	2,526	40
598GD	Mena	1,683	1,677	6
598QA	Little Rock Main Street	13	11	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration