Lawrence Reporter

The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, subsidiary 589GU in Lawrence, Kansas scheduled 297 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 290 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.6%) and seven appointments (2.4%) 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.

VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in August

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
589A5	Topeka	26,183	25,004	1,179
589A6	Leavenworth	20,628	20,131	497
589GR	Junction City	3,097	2,914	183
589GI	St. Joseph	2,257	2,235	22
589GJ	Kansas City	1,165	1,139	26
589JE	Platte City	979	961	18
589GV	Fort Scott	936	912	24
589GM	Chanute	344	331	13
589GU	Lawrence	297	290	7
589BU	Leavenworth	180	174	6
589GP	Garnett	178	175	3
589MA	Ft. Riley DES Clinic	41	30	11

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration