East Panhandle Times

The Martinsburg VA Medical Center, subsidiary 613BU in Martinsburg, West Virginia, scheduled 36 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 34 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.4%) and two appointments (5.6%) 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
613	Martinsburg	20,120	18,591	1,529
613GG	Frederick	3,836	3,652	184
613GC	Stephens City	2,909	2,868	41
613GB	Hagerstown	2,804	2,570	234
613GF	Harrisonburg	1,925	1,903	22
613GA	Cumberland	1,780	1,708	72
613GE	Petersburg	1,046	1,040	6
613GD	Franklin	112	112	0
613BU	Martinsburg	36	34	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration