Lubbock Times

The VA Amarillo Health Care System, subsidiary 504BY in Lubbock, Texas scheduled 13,823 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 13,655 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.8%) and 168 appointments (1.2%) 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 who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

VA Amarillo Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in August

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
504	Amarillo	31,132	29,876	1,256
504BY	Lubbock	13,823	13,655	168
504BZ	Clovis	1,324	1,318	6
504GA	Childress	79	62	17
504HB	Dalhart	56	56	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration