SW Arkansas Times

The VA Central Arkansas Health Care System, subsidiary 598GD in Mena, Arkansas, scheduled 1,312 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, 1,306 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.5%) and six appointments (0.5%) 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
598	Little Rock	37,453	32,686	4,767
598A0	North Little Rock	35,133	32,105	3,028
598GC	Hot Springs	6,794	6,229	565
598GG	Conway	6,030	5,805	225
598GA	Mountain Home	4,283	4,088	195
598GF	Searcy	3,476	3,347	129
598GE	Pine Bluff	2,607	2,553	54
598GH	Russellville	2,259	2,226	33
598GB	El Dorado	2,150	2,142	8
598GD	Mena	1,312	1,306	6
598QA	Little Rock Main Street	147	113	34

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration