North Coastal News

The VA South Texas Health Care System, subsidiary 671GB in Victoria, Texas, scheduled 2,471 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, 2,448 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.1%) and 23 appointments (0.9%) 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
671	San Antonio	57,602	50,204	7,398
671QB	San Antonio	17,114	12,435	4,679
671BY	San Antonio Eckert Road	16,106	15,444	662
671GK	San Antonio	14,904	14,772	132
671A4	Kerrville	12,652	11,760	892
671GO	North Central Federal	11,419	10,903	516
671GP	Balcones Heights	9,483	9,118	365
671GL	New Braunfels	5,531	5,442	89
671GQ	Shavano Park	4,600	4,568	32
671GF	San Antonio	4,520	4,457	63
671GB	Victoria	2,471	2,448	23
671GN	Seguin	1,219	1,207	12
671GH	Beeville	343	334	9
671BU	San Antonio	84	83	1
671PA	San Antonio SARRTP	14	14	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration