Oakland City Wire

The VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, subsidiary 691GE in Los Angeles, California scheduled 10,873 pending appointments during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 9,546 had a wait time of 30 days or less (87.8%) and 1,327 appointments (12.2%) 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 who 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	40,988	35,334	5,654
691A4	Sepulveda	27,867	23,785	4,082
691GE	Los Angeles	10,873	9,546	1,327
691GM	Oxnard	5,213	4,681	532
691GD	Bakersfield	4,118	3,982	136
691GL	Santa Maria	3,930	3,198	732
691GK	San Luis Obispo	1,984	1,558	426
691GF	East Los Angeles	1,596	1,554	42
691GG	Lancaster	1,029	780	249
691GB	Santa Barbara	680	668	12
691GC	Gardena	4	4	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration