Buffalo Ledger

The VA Western New York at Buffalo Health Care System, subsidiary 528GQ in Lackawanna, New York scheduled 1,597 pending appointments during the period ending January 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,563 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.9%) and 34 appointments (2.1%) 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
528	Buffalo	56,244	52,768	3,476
528A4	Batavia	8,041	7,849	192
528GR	Olean	2,023	1,984	39
528GB	Jamestown	1,807	1,782	25
528GC	Dunkirk	1,780	1,751	29
528GD	Niagara Falls	1,683	1,650	33
528GQ	Lackawanna	1,597	1,563	34
528GK	Lockport	1,089	1,079	10
528QA	Buffalo	170	168	2
528QB	Packard	61	61	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration