PHX Reporter

The VA Phoenix Health Care System, subsidiary 644 in Phoenix, Arizona, scheduled 61,341 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 53,598 had a wait time of 30 days or less (87.4%) and 7,743 appointments (12.6%) 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
644	Phoenix	61,341	53,598	7,743
644BY	Gilbert	22,703	21,742	961
644GH	Phoenix	11,176	10,913	263
644GA	Surprise	10,142	10,004	138
644GE	Phoenix	5,585	5,443	142
644GC	Phoenix	5,121	4,755	366
644GG	Scottsdale	3,063	3,026	37
644GB	Show Low	1,847	1,767	80
644GF	Globe	542	535	7
644GD	Payson	487	479	8

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration