Rockland Reporter

The VA Hudson Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 620GA in New City, New York scheduled 3,261 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, 3,181 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.6%) and 80 appointments (2.5%) 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.

VA Hudson Valley Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in August

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
620A4	Wappingers Falls	15,635	14,676	959
620	Montrose	6,267	5,994	273
620GA	New City	3,261	3,181	80
620GD	Goshen	2,833	2,777	56
620GE	Port Jervis	2,168	2,142	26
620GB	Carmel	1,553	1,525	28
620GG	Poughkeepsie	1,490	1,432	58
620GF	Monticello	794	761	33
620GH	Pine Plains	248	237	11
620QA	Montrose	6	5	1
620MA	IDES West Point	2	2	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration