Rockland Reporter

The VA Hudson Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 620GA in New City, New York, scheduled 974 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 940 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.5%) and 34 appointments (3.5%) 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 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
620A4	Wappingers Falls	6,803	5,897	906
620	Montrose	2,650	2,249	401
620GD	Goshen	1,451	1,383	68
620GB	Carmel	1,096	875	221
620GG	Poughkeepsie	1,034	938	96
620GA	New City	974	940	34
620GE	Port Jervis	801	709	92
620GF	Monticello	689	590	99
620GH	Pine Plains	252	185	67

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration