SW Arkansas Times

The VA Central Arkansas Health Care System, subsidiary 598GD in Mena, Arkansas, scheduled 1,109 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, 1,060 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.6%) and 49 appointments (4.4%) 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 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	36,487	32,013	4,474
598A0	North Little Rock	31,502	29,119	2,383
598GC	Hot Springs	6,352	6,128	224
598GG	Conway	5,315	4,795	520
598GA	Mountain Home	4,375	3,955	420
598GF	Searcy	3,407	3,362	45
598GE	Pine Bluff	2,214	2,170	44
598GB	El Dorado	2,125	2,107	18
598GH	Russellville	2,057	2,011	46
598GD	Mena	1,109	1,060	49

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration