Mohave Today

The VA Northern Arizona Health Care System, subsidiary 649GA in Kingman, Arizona scheduled 2,779 pending appointments during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,696 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97%) and 83 appointments (3%) 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
649	Prescott	19,301	17,752	1,549
649GC	Lake Havasu City	3,289	3,168	121
649GA	Kingman	2,779	2,696	83
649GE	Cottonwood	1,820	1,700	120
649GB	Flagstaff	1,323	1,201	122
649GD	Anthem	509	475	34
649QA	Chinle	252	231	21
649QH	Kayenta	36	35	1
649QF	Tuba City	24	24	0
649QB	Holbrook	23	20	3
649QD	Page	15	15	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration