Wenatchee Times

The Spokane VA Medical Center, subsidiary 668GA in Wenatchee, Washington, scheduled 31 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 28 had a wait time of 30 days or less (90.3%) and three appointments (9.7%) 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
668	Spokane	3,465	2,876	589
668GB	Coeur d'Alene	71	67	4
668HK	Spokane	64	63	1
668GA	Wenatchee	31	28	3
668QB	Libby	22	18	4
668QD	Sandpoint	12	12	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration