North Coastal News

The VA South Texas Health Care System, subsidiary 671GH in Beeville, Texas scheduled 326 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 316 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.9%) and 10 appointments (3.1%) 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
671	San Antonio	76,464	69,249	7,215
671QB	San Antonio	25,992	20,531	5,461
671BY	San Antonio Eckert Road	20,365	19,775	590
671GK	San Antonio	14,746	14,642	104
671A4	Kerrville	14,573	14,101	472
671GO	North Central Federal	13,491	13,211	280
671GP	Balcones Heights	8,703	8,620	83
671GQ	Shavano Park	5,600	5,562	38
671GF	San Antonio	5,139	5,033	106
671GL	New Braunfels	4,667	4,540	127
671GB	Victoria	2,975	2,960	15
671GN	Seguin	1,080	1,078	2
671GH	Beeville	326	316	10
671BU	San Antonio	131	131	0
671PA	San Antonio SARRTP	97	88	9
671DT	Unknown	4	4	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration