Pulaski Times

The VA Central Arkansas Health Care System, subsidiary 598 in Little Rock, Arkansas, scheduled 39,009 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 33,007 had a wait time of 30 days or less (84.6%) and 6,002 appointments (15.4%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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
598	Little Rock	39,009	33,007	6,002
598A0	North Little Rock	31,366	29,113	2,253
598GC	Hot Springs	6,447	6,142	305
598GG	Conway	5,365	4,677	688
598GA	Mountain Home	4,313	4,096	217
598GF	Searcy	3,451	3,392	59
598GH	Russellville	2,157	1,930	227
598GB	El Dorado	2,022	2,013	9
598GE	Pine Bluff	1,975	1,898	77
598GD	Mena	848	845	3

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration