Lawrence Reporter

The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, subsidiary 589GU in Lawrence, Kansas scheduled 374 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, 360 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.3%) and 14 appointments (3.7%) 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
589A5	Topeka	25,954	24,675	1,279
589A6	Leavenworth	20,461	19,853	608
589GR	Junction City	3,277	3,031	246
589GI	St. Joseph	2,468	2,363	105
589GJ	Kansas City	1,249	1,185	64
589JE	Platte City	1,039	1,018	21
589GV	Fort Scott	827	817	10
589BU	Leavenworth	623	615	8
589GU	Lawrence	374	360	14
589GM	Chanute	345	338	7
589GP	Garnett	171	169	2
589MA	Ft. Riley DES Clinic	46	45	1
589MD	IDES Fort Leavenworth	22	22	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration