Lubbock Times

The VA South Texas Health Care System, subsidiary 671GP in Balcones Heights, Texas scheduled 6,471 pending appointments in June compared to 6,925 the previous month, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 6,257 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.7%) and 214 appointments (3.3%) 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.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

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 don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

VA South Texas Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in June vs. May

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled in July	Total Appointments Scheduled in June	Percent change in number of appointments
671	San Antonio, TX (Audie L. Murphy)	53,593	55,133	-2.8%
671A4	Kerrville, TX	12,616	12,961	-2.7%
671BU	San Antonio, TX - VADOM	77	76	1.3%
671GB	Victoria, TX	2,483	2,696	-7.9%
671GF	South Bexar County, TX	4,533	4,517	0.4%
671GH	Beeville, TX	169	231	-26.8%
671GK	San Antonio Woodcock Drive, TX	15,067	15,642	-3.7%
671GL	New Braunfels, TX	5,460	5,294	3.1%
671GN	Seguin, TX	1,229	1,206	1.9%
671GP	Balcones Heights, TX	6,471	6,925	-6.6%
671GQ	Shavano Park, TX	4,943	4,943	0%
671QB	Data Point, TX	19,570	20,229	-3.3%

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration