Lafayette Reporter

The VA Alexandria Health Care System, subsidiary 502QB in Lafayette, Louisiana, scheduled 2,082 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,812 had a wait time of 30 days or less (87%) and 270 appointments (13%) 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
502	Alexandria	21,871	18,098	3,773
502GB	Lafayette	7,835	7,206	629
502GF	Leesville	2,588	2,248	340
502GE	Lake Charles	2,273	2,051	222
502QB	Lafayette	2,082	1,812	270
502GA	Jennings	1,246	1,174	72
502GG	Natchitoches	862	860	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration