Tyler Reporter

The VA North Texas Health Care System, subsidiary 549QC in Tyler, Texas, scheduled 7,457 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, 6,663 had a wait time of 30 days or less (89.4%) and 794 appointments (10.7%) 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
549	Dallas	74,074	66,125	7,949
549BY	Fort Worth	36,762	33,865	2,897
549A4	Bonham	12,109	11,625	484
549QC	Tyler	7,457	6,663	794
549GD	Denton	7,095	6,837	258
549GL	Plano	4,243	4,135	108
549GK	Dallas	3,497	3,467	30
549GJ	Sherman	3,379	3,359	20
549GM	Grand Prairie	2,501	2,481	20
549GE	Decatur	1,610	1,573	37
549GH	Greenville	1,278	1,233	45
549GF	Granbury	626	615	11

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration