Waco Reporter

The VA Central Texas Health Care System, subsidiary 674A4 in Waco, Texas, scheduled 14,681 pending appointments during the period ending July 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 13,532 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.2%) and 1,149 appointments (7.8%) 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
674	Temple	85,992	74,128	11,864
674BY	Austin	36,607	31,998	4,609
674A4	Waco	14,681	13,532	1,149
674GD	Cedar Park	8,094	7,913	181
674GF	Temple	4,736	4,492	244
674GC	Bryan	4,627	4,446	181
674GA	Palestine	2,515	2,486	29
674GB	Brownwood	2,430	2,365	65
674HB	LaGrange	1,020	961	59

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration