Cincy Reporter

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center, subsidiary 539GB in Cincinnati, Ohio, scheduled 4,661 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, 4,473 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96%) and 188 appointments (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
539	Cincinnati	31,375	28,024	3,351
539QB	Cincinnati	5,535	5,071	464
539GB	Cincinnati	4,661	4,473	188
539GD	Florence	4,474	4,260	214
539GE	Hamilton	3,833	3,691	142
539GC	Greendale	3,444	3,377	67
539GA	Bellevue	1,412	1,334	78
539GF	Georgetown	940	857	83
539A4	Fort Thomas	845	794	51
539QD	Norwood	299	284	15
539BV	Fort Thomas	20	15	5
5399AB	Fort Thomas CLC	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration