SLO Reporter

The VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, subsidiary 691GK in San Luis Obispo, California, scheduled 1,436 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,364 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95%) and 72 appointments (5%) 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
691	Los Angeles	37,457	32,546	4,911
691A4	Sepulveda	23,779	19,541	4,238
691GE	Los Angeles	10,107	9,245	862
691GM	Oxnard	4,684	4,511	173
691GD	Bakersfield	3,920	3,846	74
691GL	Santa Maria	3,131	2,370	761
691GF	East Los Angeles	1,451	1,442	9
691GK	San Luis Obispo	1,436	1,364	72
691GG	Lancaster	957	856	101
691GB	Santa Barbara	566	521	45

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration