Northern Tier News

The Bath VA Medical Center, subsidiary 528QF in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania scheduled 379 pending appointments during the period ending January 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 314 had a wait time of 30 days or less (82.9%) and 65 appointments (17.2%) 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
528A6	Bath	19,219	18,687	532
528G4	Elmira	2,187	2,166	21
528G8	Wellsville	623	609	14
528QF	Wellsboro	379	314	65
528QE	Coudersport	136	118	18

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration