East Arizona News

The VA Northern Arizona Health Care System, subsidiary 649QA in Chinle, Arizona, scheduled 109 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, 109 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 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
649	Prescott	11,904	9,963	1,941
649GC	Lake Havasu City	2,879	2,760	119
649GA	Kingman	2,077	1,988	89
649GE	Cottonwood	1,743	1,500	243
649GB	Flagstaff	1,161	1,076	85
649GD	Anthem	415	399	16
649QA	Chinle	109	109	0
649QH	Kayenta	24	24	0
649QF	Tuba City	21	21	0
649QB	Holbrook	18	16	2
649QD	Page	7	7	0
649QG	Polacca	3	3	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration