Cincy Reporter

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center, subsidiary 539QA in Cincinnati, Ohio scheduled 1 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, one had a wait time of 30 days or less.

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
539	Cincinnati	43,047	39,384	3,663
539GB	Cincinnati	7,300	7,152	148
539QB	Cincinnati	6,345	6,182	163
539GD	Florence	6,090	5,954	136
539GE	Hamilton	5,463	5,345	118
539GC	Greendale	5,067	5,020	47
539GA	Bellevue	3,025	2,950	75
539GF	Georgetown	1,549	1,496	53
539A4	Fort Thomas	861	822	39
539QD	Norwood	673	617	56
539BV	Fort Thomas	11	6	5
5399AB	Fort Thomas CLC	4	4	0
539QA	Cincinnati	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration