Waco Reporter

The VA Central Texas Health Care System, subsidiary 674A4 in Waco, Texas, scheduled 14,160 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 12,906 had a wait time of 30 days or less (91.1%) and 1,254 appointments (8.9%) 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
674	Temple	87,862	75,418	12,444
674BY	Austin	37,190	31,616	5,574
674A4	Waco	14,160	12,906	1,254
674GD	Cedar Park	7,831	7,502	329
674GF	Temple	5,585	5,461	124
674GC	Bryan	4,763	4,615	148
674GA	Palestine	2,247	2,171	76
674GB	Brownwood	1,901	1,785	116
674HB	LaGrange	1,035	998	37

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration