Lowe Delta News

The VA Central Arkansas Health Care System, subsidiary 598GE in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, scheduled 2,566 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,495 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.2%) and 71 appointments (2.8%) 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
598	Little Rock	38,036	33,501	4,535
598A0	North Little Rock	34,213	31,312	2,901
598GC	Hot Springs	6,690	6,261	429
598GG	Conway	6,133	5,708	425
598GA	Mountain Home	4,293	3,955	338
598GF	Searcy	3,482	3,345	137
598GE	Pine Bluff	2,566	2,495	71
598GB	El Dorado	2,189	2,180	9
598GH	Russellville	2,158	2,133	25
598GD	Mena	1,326	1,322	4
598QA	Little Rock Main Street	111	88	23

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration