Oakland City Wire

The VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, subsidiary 691GE in Los Angeles, California, scheduled 10,442 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, 9,128 had a wait time of 30 days or less (87.4%) and 1,314 appointments (12.6%) 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
691	Los Angeles	38,472	33,015	5,457
691A4	Sepulveda	25,518	20,777	4,741
691GE	Los Angeles	10,442	9,128	1,314
691GM	Oxnard	4,806	4,475	331
691GL	Santa Maria	3,452	2,834	618
691GD	Bakersfield	3,193	3,132	61
691GK	San Luis Obispo	1,693	1,542	151
691GF	East Los Angeles	1,465	1,451	14
691GG	Lancaster	789	703	86
691GB	Santa Barbara	593	556	37

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration