Lafayette Reporter

The VA Alexandria Health Care System, subsidiary 502QB in Lafayette, Louisiana scheduled 2,520 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,375 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.3%) and 145 appointments (5.8%) 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
502	Alexandria	29,405	27,721	1,684
502GB	Lafayette	9,426	9,013	413
502GE	Lake Charles	4,700	4,404	296
502GF	Leesville	3,570	3,448	122
502QB	Lafayette	2,520	2,375	145
502GA	Jennings	1,421	1,413	8
502GG	Natchitoches	959	954	5

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration