Kentuckiana Times

The Robley Rex VA Medical Center, subsidiary 603GB in New Albany, Indiana, scheduled 4,331 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 4,204 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.1%) and 127 appointments (2.9%) 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
603	Louisville	41,949	39,466	2,483
603GE	Newburg	7,387	7,292	95
603GC	Shively	6,054	5,965	89
603GD	Stonybrook	5,525	5,391	134
603GA	Fort Knox	5,264	5,169	95
603GF	Clarkson	4,407	4,370	37
603GB	New Albany	4,331	4,204	127
603GG	Scottsburg	2,702	2,683	19
603GH	Carrollton	708	699	9

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration