Buffalo Ledger

The VA Western New York at Buffalo Health Care System, subsidiary 528GQ in Lackawanna, New York, scheduled 1,675 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, 1,554 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.8%) and 121 appointments (7.2%) 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
528	Buffalo	38,301	34,896	3,405
528A4	Batavia	4,757	4,522	235
528GB	Jamestown	1,890	1,858	32
528GQ	Lackawanna	1,675	1,554	121
528GR	Olean	1,507	1,482	25
528GC	Dunkirk	1,466	1,461	5
528GK	Lockport	1,150	1,099	51
528GD	Niagara Falls	927	919	8
528QA	Buffalo	60	60	0
528QB	Packard	36	36	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration