Jackson Purchase News

The Marion VA Medical Center, subsidiary 657GR in Mayfield, Kentucky, scheduled 1,962 pending appointments during the period ending July 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,923 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98%) and 39 appointments (2%) 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
657GJ	Evansville	19,285	17,867	1,418
657A5	Marion	14,482	11,427	3,055
657GL	Paducah	3,047	3,023	24
657GK	Mount Vernon	2,576	2,574	2
657GP	Owensboro	2,239	2,182	57
657GT	Carbondale	2,226	2,217	9
657GR	Mayfield	1,962	1,923	39
657GQ	Vincennes	1,034	932	102
657GM	Effingham	819	809	10
657GU	Harrisburg	745	745	0
657QD	Marion	713	688	25
657GO	Hanson	547	530	17
657BW	Marion MH-RRTP	57	56	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration