Lowe Delta News

The VA Central Arkansas Health Care System, subsidiary 598GE in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, scheduled 2,458 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,417 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.3%) and 41 appointments (1.7%) 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
598	Little Rock	36,342	32,042	4,300
598A0	North Little Rock	31,081	28,738	2,343
598GC	Hot Springs	6,012	5,701	311
598GG	Conway	5,670	5,152	518
598GA	Mountain Home	4,346	3,858	488
598GF	Searcy	3,202	3,131	71
598GE	Pine Bluff	2,458	2,417	41
598GB	El Dorado	2,179	2,167	12
598GH	Russellville	2,101	2,065	36
598GD	Mena	1,240	1,205	35
598QA	Little Rock Main Street	239	215	24

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration